The activity, organized as a Jail Visit Mission, became a deeply emotional and transformative experience, especially for Ronnie Igloria @REY and Larry Montero @LALOYโboth sons of Davao de Oro whose lives were once tied to the armed movement.
REY, once the Vice Commanding Officer of the dismantled NPA Guerilla Front 20, had not seen his wife and children for over eight years. Today, that silence was brokenโnot with words alone, but with tears, embraces, and the trembling grip of a father reuniting with the family he left behind.
"Wala ko nagdahom nga makita pa tika," his wife whispered through tears. And REY, now visibly humbled, held her hands tightly, letting silence carry what words could not. One by one, his children approachedโsome now adults, some barely recognizing the man before them. They stood in disbelief, a blend of joy and pain visible on their faces. Years of absence had carved a void, and yet in that moment, a fragile bridge was built.
One daughter, now in her early twenties, said quietly, "Abi namo wala na ka, Pa. Pero maskin dugay, diri ra gihapon ka sa kasingkasing namo." The pain of growing up fatherless was evident, but so was the hope.
This wasnโt just a jail visitโit was a reunion of a family long torn by armed conflict and struggle. A reconciliation that had been postponed by a decade of hardship. A reconnection that marked the beginning of healing.
For LALOY, who once served in the Regional Headquarters of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC), this was his first reunion in 11 years. A quiet figure who carried the weight of forgotten battles and fallen comrades, he was finally able to sit beside his kin once more. He, too, bore the scars of abandonmentโleft behind by a movement whose leaders are now either gone, fallen or disillusioned. His reunion today was not merely a visit, but a flicker of hope in a life long dimmed by sacrifice.
KALINAW Davao de Oro made this possible.
The organization provided transportation, meals, hygiene kits, and pasalubong packs for the detainees, ensuring not just logistical support but a dignified space for reconnection. Each family also received a 50-kilo sack of rice.
This visit is part of KALINAW DdO's larger mission: to heal, to restore, and to reintegrate. We are here not to judge the past, but to help shape a better futureโwhere families can reunite, dignity can be reclaimed, and second chances can be embraced.
To witness the moment when a child recognizes their father after years of absence is to understand the true weight of peacebuilding. It is not fought in boardrooms or won in battles, but in these raw, quiet, human moments of forgiveness.
KALINAW Davao de Oro stands committed to walking alongside every REY and every LALOY, because peace is personal, and so is redemption. (KALINAW DAVAO DE ORO)ย