December 19 will go down in the annals of DILG XII as the first Barangay Summit on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) with the attendance of numerous punong barangays from CTG-affected communities in Region XII. Participating barangay officials were given orientation on the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP), giving clarity to their roles and responsibilities in line with the Executive Order No. 70, Series of 2018, or the “Institutionalization of Whole-of-Nation Approach in Attaining Inclusive and Sustainable Peace, Creating a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).”
The said activity, which was held at The Farm@Carpenter Hill in Koronadal City, generally aims to orient Barangay Officials and the RCSP Teams on their respective roles and responsibilities on EO 70 and the RCSP Program. Among the things that were discussed were the gaps and challenges in the implementation of EO 70, with the goal of coming up with a mechanism under this Mandate to address the gaps/ challenges for a more fruitful and cohesive approach in implementing the program next year.
Other attendees were members of the Regional Task Force (RTF) -ELCAC of Region XII namely the AFP, PNP and NICA XII, with the members of the RCSP Team of the different LGUs.
Some major accomplishments of the RTF-ELCAC and PTF-ELCAC were presented for stakeholders’ awareness and possible replication down to the barangay level, whichever is applicable.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr., in his welcome message, announced with great pride the possible surrender of NPA members on that date, December 19. He expressed his stand, which reflects the view of the RCSP that “progress will never come if the peace and order issue is not resolved”.
According to the governor, there had been 75 surrenderees from the whole province of South Cotabato as of December 19 and they keep counting. As he shared glimpses of his interaction with rebel returnees, he pointed out to the fact that “these rebels seem to have lost their cause”. When asked why the rebels have decided to come back to the folds of law, the governor’s answer reveals the underlying truth: ‘ramdam na ang serbisyo ng gobyerno.”’
DILG XII Regional Director Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, CESO III graced the event and shared what she has witnessed during the conduct of the Caravan. She said that the very warm response of the recipients from the target communities reached out by the Government Agencies is a positive indication of the impact of the campaign.
She encouraged members of the RTF-ELCAC Region XII and LGU Officials who were in attendance to continue their avid support to sustain the program and thereby ensuring that government services will be brought to the people.
DILG Undersecretary for Local Government Mavel C. Sacendoncillo, CESO II, in her inspirational message, appreciated the unified efforts of the RTF-ELCAC in coordination with the LGUs of Region XII in sincerely rebuilding the active and accessible services of the Government even up to the geographically isolated depressed areas of the Region. She also stated that she was impressed by the closed ties of various government agencies and other major stakeholders established to address the insurgency problem through a convergence approach.
NICA XII Regional Director Eduardo T. Marquez discussed and delivered the framework of EO 70 as well the mandates given to the RCSP teams and barangays on RCSP. Afterwards, LGOO VI and Assistant Chief of the DILG XII’s Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Department (LGMED) Ian Jon S. Clemente outlined the steps needed in order to reach the goals set under RCSP, emphasizing that the campaign involves not just the national level but most especially the grassroots, the communities.
Col. Gabriel Viray of the 901st Brigade, Philippine Army, meanwhile, spoke about his experience during the conduct of the Lokal Serbisyo Caravan in Cotabato Province where he also shared the sincere appreciation of the people as they receive various government services of the numerous agencies, in collaboration and cooperation with their LGU. Clearly, he mentions that he feels presence of doubt and hesitation among the constituents at first at but eventually, they welcome everyone from the RCSP as the event progresses towards the afternoon. By the time the activity is over, these people are more convinced about the government’s sincerity in reaching out to them.
The closing part of the gathering was presided over by Ms. Jessilou Frugalidad who presented the Barangay Development Plan (BDP)-Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) Alignment. She advised the local officials who were present to include in their BDP-CDP the Programs and Projects they identified to effectively implement RCSP in their respective communities by CY 2020. The move is to ensure that the Barangay Leaders will be able to participate in achieving the objectives of RCSP.
