BAUKO, Mountain Province – Cordilleras continue to reap the fruits of lasting peace and sustainable development following the infusion of multi-million funds to bankroll the implementation of peace and development projects in former conflict areas in the region that had been identified as the epicenter of peace and development.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unification (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., who served as the guest of the 38th anniversary of the historic Mount ‘sipat’ held at the Mount Data hotel here Friday, said that for next year, some P600 million had been earmarked by the agency to implement various priority peace and development projects in Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province to strengthen the government’s peace building efforts and sustain socio-economic development in the communities that stand to benefit from the said initiatives.
He added that of the P600 million funds for the implementation of the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) projects for this year, Mountain Province will be getting a big chunk of the budget compared to the more than P100 million worth of similar projects which it received this year.
For this year, he claimed that more than P600 million had been allotted by the OPAPRU that funded the implementation of some 15 peace and development projects in the different parts of the region, mostly in Kalinga.
Earlier, the government identified the Cordillera, specifically Mountain Province and Kalinga, to be the epicenter of peace and development because the said areas had been the center of the insurgency movement where it served as the host of the national battalion of the communist in the early 1980s.
The Palace official pointed out that most of the identified projects that had been implemented and will be funded are the request of the communities ranging from roads, bridges, farm to market connectivity among others to spur economic activities in the said places which are primarily agricultural areas where farmers need the appropriate interventions from the concerned government agencies.
The annual celebration of the historic Mount Data ‘sipat’ that saw the cession of armed hostilities between the government and armed groups in the region is part of the month-long celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month pursuant to the pertinent provisions of Proclamation No. 675 issued in 2004.
Secretary Galvez underscored that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is committed in fulfilling the government’s commitment enshrined in various peace covenants because peace is a lifetime commitment that serves as a beacon for socio-economic development in the future.
Aside from serving as the guest of honor and speaker during the 38th ‘sipat’ anniversary, Secretary Galvez led the groundbreaking of the improvement of the Balicanao-Am-am road amounting to P25 million that was funded from the peace and development budget of the agency for this year.
Further, he also turned over some P105 million worth of projects from the OPAPRU to Gov. Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, jr. for the implementation of various peace and development projects that had been identified as priority projects by host communities for the current year.
On the region’s quest for autonomy, Secretary Galvez pointed out that the government will be taking a two-pronged approach in dealing with the matter which include the initiative in Congress being undertaken by the lawmakers for the passage of pending proposed autonomy laws and seeking the opinion of the Department of Justice, the Solicitor-General and the Supreme Court (Sc) on ways forward considering the twice rejection of the earlier Organic Acts that had been enacted for the said purpose.
However, he stipulated that while awaiting for the results of the ongoing initiatives, the government is inclined to continue the implementation of priority peace and development projects in rural communities to contribute in enhancing the economic activities and sources of livelihood of the people.
Engr. Andres Ngao-I, chairman of the Cordillera Bodong Administration – Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA), emphasized the need to keep the fire burning in the clamor for self-determination to give justice to the supreme sacrifices of those who fought against the efforts to desecrate the region’s resources and to provide future generations with a progressive and peaceful place to live, work, study and do business.
He urged Cordillerans not to put to waste the efforts of those who were involved in the armed struggle but instead work hard for the realization of their dreams and aspiration for a progressive, peaceful and resilient region in the future. By Dexter A. See
