Mindanao execs laud PAMANA
Davao City, Feb. 1 - The two-day orientation-workshop on PAMANA or Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Peaceful and Resilient Communities) program for civil society peace advocates recently culminated here with upbeat and grateful responses from key local officials in attendance.
During his keynote speech at the Ritz Hotel in this district, Sarangani Governor Rene Miguel Dominguez expressed his appreciation and gratitude to President Benigno Aquino III and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles for their all-out support for winning the peace in Mindanao.
“We are all looking forward to this PAMANA Program,” he said. “It’s time we give more focus to our communities and invest in our people,” he addressed the participants and guests of the workshop, which aimed to boost the engagement of civil society groups in monitoring the implementation of the program in peace and development communities (PDCs) that were established after the signing of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Dominguez explained that although Mindanao has received a lot of aid from foreign donors, the support will not be around forever. For this, he called on his fellow leaders to start building up communities who in the future will also be able to help other communities.
He also took pride on other peace and development initiatives implemented in Sarangani with the help of the national government and civil society organizations like the Madaris Program and the Barangay Justice Advocates Program.
“With the help of young Muslim professionals, we have effectively adopted the Madaris program integrating the culture of peace from which we already have more than 8,000 graduates including soldiers, PNP (Philippine National Police) and government employees,” he stated.
“We are also proud of our volunteers in the Barangay Justice Advocates Program which serves as an alternative conflict resolution mechanism effectively addressing conflicts in the communities before it goes out of hand into rido (family feud) or costly court litigations,” he added.
Further, Dominguez encouraged the participants to work together to influence leaders in their communities and to learn from experiences. He also urged them to join together in ensuring that the PDC PAMANA projects in their communities will be implemented well.
“Our biggest challenge now is for all Mindanaoans to agree to work for peace,” he said.
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Vice Gov. Hadja Bainon Karon, who participated throughout the duration of the workshop, also expressed admiration and gratitude for the PAMANA program for MNLF PDCs.
“I am thankful to the President and to Secretary Deles for their love and support to the MNLF communities in and outside of ARMM,” Karon said, who herself had seen active days in the past during MNLF’s struggle against the national government.
Karon also expressed gratitude to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) officials and participants present, and expressed hope that other conflict-affected communities not listed in the present PDC PAMANA recipients will also be included in the future.
The event was attended by peace and development advocates and key members of the Federation of United Mindanawan Bangsamoro Women Multipurpose Cooperative. Also present were OPAPP Assistant Secretary and PAMANA Program Manager Howard Cafugauan, OPAPP Director Susan Marcaida, PAMANA-Mindanao Dir. Enrico de la Torre, National Economic Development Authority Regional Dir. for Southern Mindanao Maria Lourdes D. Lim, and Engineer Baintan Ampatuan of the ARMM Regional Planning and Development Office.
PAMANA is the government’s program and framework for peace and development in conflict-affected areas as well as those covered by existing peace agreements. It aims to reduce poverty, improve governance and empower communities through projects that enhance peace and socio-economic conditions.
It will be implemented in MNLF PDCs in 133 barangays located in 14 provinces and three chartered cities. Among the provinces that already formalized partnership with the national government include Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Sulu, North Cotabato, Saranggani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and Palawan.
