BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) has started the implementation of the Transformation Program for former rebels in the Cordillera region.
The Transformation Program is designed to complement the Local Peace Engagement (LPE) Cluster under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC).
The OPAPRU is the co-lead agency of the NTF-ELCAC’s LPE Cluster, which helps facilitate local peace dialogues at the community level, allowing local leaders to touch base with members of communist terrorist groups who have expressed their willingness to lay down their arms and return to the folds of the law.
The LPE leads peace dialogues and local problem-solving sessions between affected communities and armed groups. Jessica Banganan, Project Development Officer V of the RPA-CPLA Peace Process Office, said the Transformation Program seeks to address the transformation needs of former rebels, their families, and communities with the help of local government units (LGUs). It will and strengthen communities to be more resilient against CTG efforts and influence.
Banganan said they conducted an orientation in June 2024, and initial plannings were also conducted in the provinces of Abra and Kalinga but it will undergo enhancement.
She added that they are also strengthening the commitment and appreciation of every agency involved.
“We hope na ‘yung mga focals natin sa agencies, tuloy-tuloy pa rin po ‘yung pagsuporta para mabuo natin ‘yung Transformation Program Plans ng mga provinces natin.”
Banganan said they are looking forward to the formulation of the Transformation Program Plan (TPP) of the provinces in the region.
A summit for the former rebels will be conducted to get their inputs and identify the priority projects in their communities.
The formulated TPP will then be presented and enhanced with the presence of agencies involved at the provincial level including the provincial LGU. Once finalized, the plan will be adopted by the concerned provincial LGUs.
“When we say adopted, mayroon po tayong nakikitang fund to implement those projects na pinpropose ng ating mga former rebels,” she said.
The provincial task forces, headed by the governors, will lead the implementation of the TPP with the support of the various NTF-ELCAC clusters.
The OPAPRU and the Presidential Communications Office through the Philippine Information Agency will conduct an orientation on localized peace engagement and transformation program to Cordillera media and government communicators on Sept. 23 in Baguio City. (JDP/DEG-PIA CAR)
