A convergence of development approaches
AS fate would have it, Commodore Bacordo was assigned to be commander of Naval Forces Southern Luzon in early 2016. The command headquarters are located in Legazpi, the capital of the province of Albay. In 2013, the Provincial Government of Albay (PGA) created a Team Albay Countryside Development Caravan Task Force (or simply TACDEC Task Force). The concept behind TACDEC fitted neatly into the IPSP Bayanihan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Commodre Bacordo reports: “The PGA recognized the value of convergence and synergy, and engaged the concerned LGUs, NGAs, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders as development partners in promoting the general welfare of its constituents, and in delivering basic services and facilities.” The names of the development game came to be, participation, involvement, and forging of alliances. These are exactly the same names embedded in the AFP IPSP Bayanihan.
The provincial governor was, quite naturally, the chair of TACDEC Task Force. Its members included the mayors of the municipalities of Albay province, regional and province directors of national government agencies with an office in Albay, AFP commanders, Philippine National Police (PNP) regional and provincial directors, and heads of departments and key offices of the PGA. But membership was not limited to those from the government sector; it extended to the private sector as well. Thus, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Dios Mabalos Foundation, Rotary Club, and other civic business and civic organizations were included.
With such a diverse membership, TACDEC had to organize itself into five core teams, dedicated to a specific area of development concern – economic, education, medical assistance, engineering, and public safety. Leading each team dedicated to the specific areas of concern were: the regional office of the Department of Trade & Industry (for economic concerns); the Provincial Education Department (for the education civic action program); the provincial health office and the provincial engineer’s office for medical and engineering civic action programs, respectively; and finally, the Albay Safety and Emergency Management Office for the public safety civic action program.
With such an organizational structure in place, TACDEC went into action. According to Commodore Bacordo, the TACDEC approach was in fact the “whole of nation” approach of the AFP IPSP Bayanihan. He says: “The ‘whole of nation’ approach was used in delivering basic services to the most underprivileged citizens of Albay. Indeed, what used to be impenetrable places, due to the presence of NPA rebels, could now be reached by concerned government agencies because of the security provided by the AFP and PNP.” All this demanded coordination and team work; it asked for various government agencies at both the national and local levels to work together; it required a few “deployment conferences,” at which “participating agencies determined the services they would deliver” through the TACDEC Task Force. For example, “the AFP would normally provide route and onsite security as well as the deployment of its medical and dental teams. In addition to providing mobility by land or sea for TACDEC team members, the AFP would also offer trash bins made out of recycled fuel drums, repair services for electrical appliances, and even offer haircut services, etc.” For its part, the “private sector would normally provide school bags and school supplies, along with read-along sessions with elementary school children.” Since the team would work together, team members would go “in a caravan, motor to the designated far-flung barangay for the delivery of basic services such as those associated with health, education, livelihood and other economic programs.”
This (the TACDEC task force approach) was “winning hearts and minds” in action; and from all indications, it helped bring about peace and security in Albay province in addition to opening livelihood opportunities to impoverished, difficult-to-reach places.