COTABATO CITY, July 15 -- Thirty-two former violent extremists have received cash assistance from the government as part of their reintegration into the mainstream during ceremonies held at the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade (601Bde) headquarters in Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur on Tuesday.

Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, the 601Bde commander, led the distribution of financial aid with Sittie Janine Gamao of the Ministry of Public Order and Safety of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MPOS-BARMM).

In a radio interview on Wednesday, Catu did not disclose the amount extended to the former Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), now called by the Army "friends rescued," but said it is enough to start a small income-generating ...