DAVAO ORIENTAL – The members of the Provincial Peace and Order Council have unanimously backed President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order no. 70 which bids to finally put an end to the country’s decades-long Communist insurgency.
During this year’s first Provincial Peace and Order Council Meeting on January 17 at Lanes Kita-anan in the City of Mati, Governor Nelson Dayanghirang expressed his full support to the President’s directive of institutionalizing the “Whole-of-Nation Approach” in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace.
While the country’s insurgency issues have always been tackled within the military context, the newly crafted executive order provides a paradigm shift to transition the peace campaign from being traditionally military-led to good governance-driven led by the local government units.
“The issue on insurgency is not only a military problem because it is, on its core, a political problem,” says Governor Dayanghirang.
With the President’s directive, all stakeholders – that include all government departments, bureaus, agencies, among others— are compelled to assist and to take necessary interventions to address insurgency that has plagued the country for fifty long years.
Through the executive order which forms the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, chaired by the President himself, “the Government shall prioritize and harmonize the delivery of basic services and social development packages in conflict-affected areas and vulnerable communities.”
The province, which has already conducted an initial orientation briefing on the provisions of the executive order to the core agencies, warmly welcomed the President’s mandate which will give boost to the province’s initiatives in fighting insurgency.
While the national task force will work on the next six months to process and formulate action plans, Governor Dayanghirang said that the province will simultaneously organize a council patterned after the said task force. “We will implement this at soonest time possible,” said the Governor, noting that the local government units should take advantage of this opportunity to tap funding support for meaningful projects that will bring hope to communities where hopelessness and poverty has led many to resort to violence and insurgency.
Meanwhile, under the order, the local government unit is also empowered to take the lead role in countering insurgency. “This is definitely a big thing, especially for the barangays who will take an active part in the execution of the policy since they are the crucial component who have the access and intelligence at the grassroots,” said Governor Dayanghirang.
INSPIRED BY DAVOR’S BEST PRACTICES
The Province of Davao Oriental’s strategy of tackling its own insurgency problem that gained it a solid foothold on its peace campaign formed a huge part on the President’s Executive Order.
The Governor’s flagship program Nagkakaisang Lingkod-Bayan ng Davao Oriental Barangay Outreach Caravan’s which highlighted convergence of all peace and development stakeholders has been one of the inspirations in the newly crafted policy.
Months leading to the signing of the executive order, Governor Dayanghirang was invited to several fora initiated by the Office of the President, the Department of National Defense, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to share the province’s best practices of which good governance is at the heart of all development initiatives.
Governor Dayanghirang said he is happy to be able to contribute to the crafting of a national security policy that will help address the urgent need of ending the Communist insurgency which has disrupted the lives of many for decades.
Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division Commander Major General Jose Faustino, who attended the PPOC meeting, congratulated the Province of Davao Oriental for being a benchmark of peace and development in the country.
“What is admirable in Davao Oriental is that even before the EO 70 was crafted, Davao Oriental is already doing it,” he said, citing the significant reduction in violent incidents here.
“That’s because the LGUs and chief executives are hands on and really go to the grassroots. And you can see the effects here. Hand in hand with the military, we can see that there are quick results in the development,” he said.
He called on all stakeholders to do their fair share and exert more efforts to solve insurgency at the soonest possible time. Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan
