Armed conflict in many areas of the country due to ideological differences has stalled development in Filipino communities.
It has impeded progress which our forefathers have yearned for and worked hard to achieve in recent decades.
From the loss of innocent lives and destruction of properties, to irreversible implications on the well-being of affected citizens, armed conflict has only brought pain and suffering.
In this Bagong Pilipinas era, the government is keen on employing its full machinery to sustain the successes in peacebuilding and usher in inclusive development for all Filipinos.
With the principal objective of integrating efforts of national and local government stakeholders, the whole-of-nation approach was utilized to deal with the root causes of local armed conflict.
In support of this initiative, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has introduced the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP), a convergence mechanism designed to identify issues at the barangay level and determine needed government interventions.
In Antique, member offices and agencies of the Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) recently reached out to RCSP target barangays in Sibalom town, whose residents were once troubled by armed conflict between government troops and communist rebels.
In this time of peace, through the “Serbisyo Caravan and Ugnayan sa Barangay,” the MTF-ELCAC brought basic services to seven upland villages. These services included medical and dental checkups, dental extraction, hair grooming, and distribution of reading glasses, towels, and blankets.
Having heard about the government’s Serbisyo Caravan, Barangay Cabanbanan resident Rose Ann Daquipil immediately availed of the free dental extraction for her six-year-old daughter who had long been enduring the pain associated with her loose tooth. She was also eager to get a consultation from government doctors about her allergies.
Another beneficiary, Leah Isidro from the same village, was overjoyed to learn about the caravan of services, noting it was the first time such activity reached their locality.
Without having to spend money to get to the Rural Health Center (RHC) in the town proper, especially on a tight budget, she said the Serbisyo Caravan is what residents in far-flung areas need and desire.
Although similar activities were previously held in nearby villages, she said having government agencies and offices at their doorstep feels reassuring about the government’s commitment to alleviating the lives of the common people.
As a farmer and vendor, Isidro then expressed her gratitude to the government for the concreting of roads which have significantly helped her and fellow villagers bring their agricultural produce to the town center with ease, compared to the rough terrain many years back that rendered traveling very difficult.
Meanwhile, 76-year-old Violeta Ambos was one of the recipients of a medical check-up from government and volunteer physicians, and a free pair of reading glasses from a volunteer optometrist.
With her frail body, Nanay Violeta said it is burdensome to travel from their upland village to the town center to get medical consultation, which is why she is thankful to everyone involved for taking the time to visit them.
From children to senior citizens, smiles were painted on people’s faces during the Serbisyo Caravan.
Joy and fulfillment were also visible among peacekeepers, civilian government workers, and volunteers present at the activity.
For nurse Don Albert Tordesillas from the Sibalom Municipal Health Office (MHO), being with the people and providing them with the due services is nothing special as it is his sworn duty as a public health worker.
He shared the rewarding feeling he gets when visiting communities and being of help to his fellow Antiqueños.
Apart from the caravan of services, an “Ugnayan sa Barangay,” or Hinun-anon, was also held, where government agencies and offices engaged in a dialogue with the community members to accommodate and log their concerns for immediate and proper government intervention.
The residents of Barangay Cabanbanan are now looking forward to a stable and clean water supply, improvement of their community evacuation center, livelihood opportunities, and the rehabilitation of damaged roads that are prone to soil depression.
With government agencies responsive to the people’s needs, it is only a matter of time before these community projects will be realized and serve as a testament to the government’s relentless commitment to both peace and development.
In this Bagong Pilipinas era, peace and development are intertwined, for it is only through a peaceful and secure society that sustainable and inclusive development can flourish.
Sustainable and inclusive development, in turn, can pave the way for lasting peace in Filipino communities. (AGP/BPS/PIA Antique)
