CASH AID. The Army's 97th Infantry Battalion helps the Department of Social Welfare Development to distribute cash assistance to 51 former New People's Army rebels Monday (Sept. 12, 2022) in Zamboanga del Norte. The cash aid is in line with the government's commitment to Executive Order No. 70 or the Whole of Nation Approach to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. (Photo courtesy of the 97IB) ZAMBOANGA CITY - Fifty-one former New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Zamboanga del Norte are beneficiaries of additional cash assistance from the government aimed at uplifting their lives, a military official said Tuesday. Lt. Col. Nolasco Coderos Jr., the Army's 97th Infantry Battalion (IB) commander, said they have assisted the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Zamboanga Peninsula in the aid distribution Monday at their headquarters in Barangay Del Pilar, Pinan town.The ex-rebels received PHP3,000 each, he said. The cash assistance given by the DSWD intends to