By Kayla Dy
Many rebels give up themselves to the government now as they feel happy with the assistance that they are getting from the officials. Noteworthy are those ex-rebels who are waiting for the government’s promised housing for them. They are secured in Happy Farm Ville, where they can live peaceful lives and at the same time, learn livelihood means in the hopes of going home to their families soon.
Happy Farm Ville produces ex-rebels who are not afraid to go back to their communities anymore, going out as simple civilians who want to make an honest living to be able to repay their wrong decisions with good deeds and finally lead an honest and peaceful life outside of the NPA. Rudy has been in Happy Farm Ville for three years now. He is an ex-rebel who decided to leave the NPA to pursue living without the fear of being hunted down by rebels in the province. He and his wife were brave enough to surrender to soldiers when they found out it is now safe for rebels to come home. He said that it took them how many years before finally deciding to go back.
They saw how the soldiers and the government would take care of them should they decide to come back. They found out how soldiers treated ex-rebels before them and how the government has changed their ways of how they viewed the ex-rebels. True enough, Rudy and his wife surrendered in 2019. They were placed in Happy Farm Ville, where they have livelihood and resources to work with.
At the moment, Happy Farm Ville has 6 families living there. 17 of them are adults while there are about 8 kids and toddlers inside. Their main means of income come from poultry and fishing. They managed to set up poultry from materials that were donated to them by different agencies and NGOs. They sell trays of eggs inside and outside of Camp Melchor. They also have a fish pond full of tilapias. The tilapias are also sold and some are also cooked inside of Happy Farm Ville for their own consumption.
Inside Happy Farm Ville, you will also see different crops planted which they also eat. To date, they have established consistent clients who order trays of eggs and fish from them. Aside from the mentioned above, they have also managed to put up a small sari-sari store where can they sell chips and different items to soldiers and outside of the camp whenever they can. Rudy expressed his deep gratitude to the soldiers and the government for giving him and his wife, as well as for those who are with them inside of Happy Farm Ville another shot at life and finally doing things right.#
