Lumads empowered to sustain peace

DAVAO ORIENTAL— The Philippine Army’s 67th Infantry Battalion had organized its first Indigenous Forum and inaugurated its Indigenous Peoples Coordinating Center set within the military camp.

Tribal chieftains and Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) from the first district of Davao Oriental and the Municipality of Lingig, Surigao del Sur participated during the event held on February 19 at the Philippine Army’s 67th IB Headquarters in Baganga town.

Emphasizing that “IPs are the key to long and lasting peace,” Lt. Col. Jacob Thaddeus Obligado, Commander of the Philippine Army’s 67th Infantry Battalion, said peace will be sustained through the delivery of basic services to the poorest of the poor. And with the coordinating center’s established links with national agencies, the needs of the IP communities are ensured to be catered much faster.

In the effort to counter insurgency, Obligado, during the forum, urged all IPMRs to strengthen their respective community defense system to protect their area from extortion and harassment of the communist rebels. He has also challenged the IPMRs to reactivate their respective Indigenous Political Structure (IPS) for them to exercise autonomy in implementing their tribal policies and programs.

“IPs is either victims [of violence] or the solution [to armed conflict]. IPs can either fear or fight [the communist rebels],” he said.

Support to IP communities

Boosting economic growth in the ancestral lands, the government further plans to improve agricultural skills of the IPs to increase production on abaca, falcata, and other agricultural commodities that will contribute to the economic prosperity in the ancestral domains of this province.

Through the provincial government’s Inclusive Growth and Development Framework, various programs are also set to be implemented in the ancestral domains of the province.

Provincial Governor’s Office Chief-of-Staff Ednar Dayanghirang, who graced the occasion, disclosed some of the major programs set for implementation in the IP communities here.