KIDAPAWAN CITY, Cotabato Province (PIA) — Around 25,0000 residents in 20 barangays tagged as “priority areas’’ by the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF- ELCAC) are set to benefit from the Serbisyong Totoo caravan of the provincial government this year.
“The provincial government, through the leadership of Gov. Emmylou Mendoza, is strongly supporting the continuous implementation of Executive Order No. 70 to help distant barangays in the province,” said PTF-ELCAC focal person Vilma Mendoza.
Cotabato Province has a total of 161 ELCAC barangays, which PTF-ELCAC has been serving since 2019.
She said the caravan serves as the highlight of the provincial government’s efforts to continue implementing the national government’s EO 70, which institutionalized the whole-of-government approach through the National Task Force-ELCAC.
In a recent meeting of the PTF-ELCAC, Mendoza, representing the governor, who sits as the chairperson of the task force, identified 20 recipient barangays that will benefit from the different government programs and services through the Serbisyong Totoo caravan of the province.
The first batch of barangays to be served are Tagbak and Kamada in Magpet on March 6 and 13; Malangag and B. Cadungon in Antipas, March 20 and 27; Sto. Niño and Indangan in Makilala, April 4 and 11; La Esperanza and Bagumbayan in Tulunan, April 18 and 25; and Luz Village in M’lang on May 8.
The multi-sectoral provincial caravan offers an array of government services and interventions, from distributing slippers to children to addressing the bigger needs of far-flung and conflict-affected communities.
The provincial government, through this caravan, will be partnering with the municipal and barangay government units and national line agencies to bring government services directly to the people in the 20 barangays.
The caravan is set to serve the second batch of barangays, which will include Katipunan and Ma. Caridad in Arakan on August 1 and 8; Labuo and Bato-Bato in Pres. Roxas, September 11 and 18; Lampayan and Bato in Matalam, September 25 and October 3; Kinarum and Ilian in Magpet, October 10 and 17; Lampagang in Tulunan, October 24; Leboce in Makilala, November 6; and Luhong in Antipas, on November 13.
In an earlier message, Mendoza emphasized the importance of “collaborative efforts” among government players in the Soccsksargen region in reclaiming the peace, particularly in the communities influenced by communist terrorist groups (CTG), through the implementation of ELCAC.
The governor also commended the armed forces for neutralizing CTGs in the ELCAC barangays, including the military’s continued peace and development efforts and initiatives in the now insurgency-freed communities.
“I thank the armed forces and all other partners for their support and contribution to the goal of achieving lasting peace and progress,” Mendoza said, adding that the provincial government will continue to safeguard the people in its communities, who are now enjoying peace and development as a result of the joint efforts of the national and local governments under ELCAC.
Along this line, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) also conducted a series of orientation workshops last year, highlighting government initiatives on peacebuilding, including ELCAC’s significant gains, and especially involving the LGUs in helping transform hundreds of former rebels into “peace agents” of government in their respective communities. (SJDM – PIA Cotabato Province)
