Ex-combatants get livelihood, tech aid
DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. (on left with lay) and MILF chairperson of Camp Bushra JTFCT Jannati Mimbatas try the pandesal baked by former combatants from the bakery given by the DoST and OPAPRU.
Photo courtesy of DOST
Water desalination system, solar powered deep well, livestock and a bakery worth more than P49 million have been given to former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) during a turnover ceremony in Barangay Sandab Madaya, Butig, Lanao del Sur on 5 February 2026.
DoST implements the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) that provided the assistance funded by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).
These programs are all implemented through the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) program of the DoST, with funding support of P49, 448,218 from OPAPRU. Through CEST, DoST and OPAPRU translate peace agreements between the government and the MILF into concrete socioeconomic gains by using science, technology and innovation for post-conflict recovery and sustainable development.