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Monday, February 10, 2020


Andanar expects effective program implementation vs. insurgency

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos 

ANTI-INSURGENCY INITIATIVES. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar, during the launch of the City Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Cagayan de Oro City on Friday (Feb. 7, 2020), says he remains optimistic that the government can deliver its promise to bring peace and development to the country through its anti-insurgency programs. He expressed confidence that local government units’ participation would help the national government boost its fight against insurgency. (Photo courtesy of PCOO)
MANILA -- Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Friday expressed confidence that the government would be able to effectively implement policies and programs that aim to put an end to insurgency in the country.

During the launch of the City Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (CTF-ELCAC) in Cagayan de Oro City, Andanar was elated that local government offices in Northern Mindanao are ready to participate in the national government’s integrated approach to addressing insurgency in the region.

He said the Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev), the enabling program to operationalize Executive Order (EO) 70, would help deliver the government’s promise to attain “inclusive and sustainable” peace in the country.

“It is my hope that we can effectively roll out and implement CAPDev in all the region’s focus areas, continue to work together for our expected results, and fulfill our shared agenda of inclusive and sustainable peace and development in Northern Mindanao,” said
Andanar, who also leads the National Task Force (NTF) ELCAC’s communications team.

Signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Dec. 4, 2018, EO 70 creates the NTF-ELCAC and orders local peace bodies to hold negotiations with communist insurgents in their respective localities.

The CAPDev, on the other hand, is a program that seeks to address the root causes of insurgencies, internal disturbances and tensions, and other armed conflicts and threats.

The CAPDev program also promotes the establishment of durable peace and development and empowers communities in priority areas through peace-building and reconciliation, good governance and institution building, and socio-economic transformation.

Andanar, who is also designated as Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security, likewise lauded Cagayan de Oro City’s local government offices for its “whole-of-nation” approach to insurgency problems.

He noted that participants have a stake in building “peaceful and resilient” communities.

“Hence, I am congratulating the city government of Cagayan de Oro, led by Mayor Oca Moreno, and Barangay Tignapoloan, Barangay Mambu-aya, and Barangay Tuburan, for working together to make sustainable peace possible,” Andanar said.

During the event, about 32 adult learners who have recently completed the Department of Education’s 800-hour literacy program for former communist rebels and their families were also recognized.

The local government department’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) also highlighted the distribution of checks to former rebels for firearms remuneration.

Benefits under the E-CLIP include cash assistance, education, livelihood training, housing, and employment assistance, as well as loan processing for business capital.

Andanar said the government is on the right track for peace and development in the country.

“I am grateful (for) the valuable support of our national government agencies, the security sector, the private sector, and other peace and development partners. Such unity of purpose gives us a sense of hope that we can finally do things right,” he said. (PNA)