Irosin, Sorsogon, Apr. 21 (UPDATED) – Beneath its exquisite white beaches, world-famous butanding (whale shark) sightings and rich marine resources lay the peace and development challenges that have crippled the province for many decades.
Until this day, Sorsogon has been a ferment of New People’s Army (NPA) insurgents in Bicol, which is the fourth poorest region in the country according to a report by the National Statistical Coordination Board in 2009.
Despite the seemingly intractable problem of insurgency in their province, the people have not lost hope in rising above poverty and armed conflict.
Believing that development is the way to peace, barangay and municipal officials, line-agency field officers and civil society representatives gathered recently for a consultation on PAMANA (Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan) or Peaceful and Resilient Communities, which is the government’s flagship program for peace and development.
Held at the LIKAS Center here, the participants expressed their views regarding the peace and development situation of the locality, as well as their recommendations in addressing Sorsogon’s challenges through the PAMANA program. The consultation was led by the PAMANA team of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).
Causes of insurgency
The discussion started off with the causes of insurgency, which to them include poor road infrastructure, lack of job opportunities, and cases of human rights abuses that remain unresolved.
“We have been requesting for the government to give us a road since we were young. That was 30 years ago, my hair is now gray, but until now they still haven’t provided us with a road,” said Peter, a representative from the Parish Pastoral Council.
Tita Polo, a barangay captain, who owns a farm with her husband, shared how “the rising cost of fuel that also affects other materials needed for farming” has caused them to limit their number of workers in the farm. “This means another person will be sitting idle without means of getting income,” she added.
Suffering in the middle
They likewise related how the violence that comes with insurgency has adversely affected the communities. In most situations, they face the dangers of being caught in the crossfire between warring forces.
In this case, Boboy, another barangay captain, told the group about how he was asked for help by both the government and the NPA forces at the same time.
“It was raining that day when a group of men came to my house and introduced themselves as NPA members. They asked us if we can let them in and provide them lunch,” he narrated. Seeing the guns that the rebels carried, Boboy allowed them entry. But after a few minutes, a group of soldiers came knocking on his door.
“They (soldiers) asked us if they can use our stove to cook their lunch. You can only imagine how nervous and scared I was at that time! Although I was a government official and should have told the military, I really did not want any trouble in my life. So I hid the rebels in my room and led the military men to the barangay hall where they could stay, then got back to my house to help the NPA members escape. I tell you, I’m laughing now, but I was really scared,” he recounted.
Boboy also said that 2007 was the worst they have experienced. “There was an ambush or encounter every month.”
Barangay Councilor Zenaida Sarmienta, on the other hand, told everyone how the armed conflict has disturbed their livelihood activities. “When someone was killed in the mountain, nobody could go up to get lumber or to tend to their farms because everyone was scared,” she stated.
The insurgency, greatly fueled by poverty, resulted to further suffering of the people. According to Gregorio Ginga, one of the participants, some members of the rebel group he has conversed with, told him that “they shall not stop fighting while there is poverty.”
Salvacion Fernito, another participant, reacted to Ginga’s words. “What about the social workers who try to help provide poor areas with basic needs? They are stopped and harassed by the NPA.”
Solving the conflict
The participants agreed when Brgy. Cpt. Edwin Garcia said “when we solve the issue of poverty, we will achieve peace.”
Garcia’s statement was supported by Fernito who observed that places where people are mostly poor have a high number of rebels. “It is easier for them to recruit in those places because people see them as an alternative to the system,” she stated.
For participant Miguel Aguiler, the government needs to provide “economic intervention” to alleviate poverty and solve the insurgency.
PAMANA is one of the two tracks that the government pursues to achieve a just and lasting peace. It endeavors to reduce poverty, improve governance, and empower communities by ensuring that the people benefit from the improved delivery of basic social services and are served by responsive, transparent and accountable governments on resource allocation and utilization, alongside economic development efforts.
In Luzon, Bicol is one of the seven PAMANA zones identified by the government for 2011. The mechanisms for implementation are already in place in Sorsogon province covering the seven municipalities of Prieto Diaz, Gubat, Casiguran, Barcelona, Juban, Irosin and Magallanes.
Meanwhile, a P30-million start-up fund has been allocated for program implementation in the province.
Governor Raul R. Lee, through Executive Order No. 002, has created the Sorsogon Provincial Technical Working Group (TWG) for PAMANA planning and coordination in the province. The TWG has been coordinating closely with OPAPP in defining where the P 30 million will be allocated.
The provincial government has likewise set up a PAMANA office at the Sorsogon Project Management Office (SPMO) to indicate the local government units’ support to the program. #
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