PAGADIAN CITY (PIA) – A media orientation held in this city serves as an avenue for the media to clarify and raise concerns regarding the implementation of programs under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in Zamboanga Peninsula.
Among the concerns raised are the implementation of infrastructure projects in the region such as the resettlement of friends rescued (FR) in the municipality of Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) commit to conduct monitoring, consultation and dialogue among the local government unit and FR beneficiaries.
“We will ensure that the concern will not result to appraising of conflict and ensure a win-win solution for them,” OPAPRU Area Management Unit-Eastern Mindanao Head Oliver M. Binansilan said.
Around 30 media practitioners from the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay actively participated in the two-day media orientation. This activity hopes to enhance awareness on Local Peace Engagement (LPE) efforts across all media platforms to achieve peace with the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
Zamboanga Peninsula is the first region to dismantle all guerrilla fronts and also the first to be declared insurgent-free in the entire country.
Now, the government is sustaining the gains achieved by the NTF-ELCAC. This is done by ensuring the implementation of the Transformation Program, which is designed to meet the needs of former rebels, their families, and their communities. The program ensures their full reintegration into society and contributes to the resolution of the local communist armed conflict.
“This activity helps us understand the process and approaches being taken by government agencies to maintain the peace and help the FRs to engage back to their communities. With the information in mind, we are now equip to share to our readers the efforts of our government agencies to sustain and maintain the peace achieved by the NTF-ELCAC programs,” said one of the participants, Sherwin Lu, Publisher of Pagadian Times.
The media orientation was conducted by the OPAPRU in collaboration with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and with the support of the DILG, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
PIA Director-General Jose Torres Jr., in his message, highlights key issues in the region that the peace campaign aims to address, including sustaining peacebuilding efforts, addressing the residual effects of conflict, and safeguarding against potential threats to stability in an insurgency-free environment.
“Magpadayon ta sa pagtabang ug strengthen sa communities. Tabangan nato na ma-achieve ang pangandoy sa matag Pilipino,” DG Torres emphasized.
(Let us continue to help and strengthen communities. Let’s work together to achieve the dreams of every Filipino.) (EDT/CCP/PIA9)
