City, AFP to join forces for Paquibato's peace dev't

MILITARY cooperation for the development of projects in Paquibato District were among the things Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio tackled with Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff, Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr.

Based on a City Information Office (CIO) report, Duterte-Carpio met Galvez last Monday. The latter was accompanied by Eastern Mindanao Commander Lt. General Benjamin Madrigal and Task Force Davao Commander Col. Nolasco Mempin.

During the meeting, Galvez outlined AFP's intervention to improve the peace and order condition, especially in Paquibato district.

Duterte-Carpio also presented to Galvez the city government's efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in the city and other areas of collaboration with the military.

“We discussed the areas, where we can collaborate with them to achieve just and lasting peace in our city,” she said.

One of the interventions of the city government mentioned during the meeting was the establishment of Peace 911.

“The concern of the military is their operation because that is their expertise while we give interventions to the issues of why civilians joined the movement, such as social services, infrastructure (and) livelihood. Those are the things that Peace 911 will address,” Duterte-Carpio said.

It was on May 10, 2018 when the city government

launched Peace 911 in Paquibato district, an identified conflict area in the city due to the activities of communist rebels there.

Under Peace 911, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) 11 also vowed to pour funding in infrastructure projects in Paquibato district to help alleviate the conditions of the people there. (with reports from CIO)

Meanwhile, while the NCIP insists on the findings of their claimbook, the Bagobo-Klata tribe represented before the council yesterday by Lolita Tecson, tribal chieftain of the Biao Gianga, said that they consider their decision on their new IPMR done, she thinks that the disqualification shows lack of respect to the decision of their tribe, adding that the results of the validation of NCIP is hard to accept because majority of the Bagobo-Klata tribe voted for Codilla on the post.

Meanwhile, Codilla herself said that her disqualification is not righteous since she has already been proclaimed.

She insisted that she was validated already by the NCIP prior to the selection process, back then when she was a member of the tribal council or the Talaukom she was also validated by the same agency and passed as 25 percent Bagobo Klata. She also said that she had been an NCIP scholar and she already validated her tribe as Bagobo-Klata, stating that her name appeared in only one tribal group.

She said that if an amendment of the reducing local guidelines of 25 percent is necessary, then the tribe will do so, but this means the delay of projects of her office.

Hearing both sides of the NCIP and the Bagobo-Klata tribe, Davao City Councilor Jesus Joseph Zozobrado made a motion urging the NCIP to issue the COA within fifteen days.

Aguio, in an interview with media after the session, said that they will have to respond to the resolution but they are firm on their findings and they are eyeing to conduct another selection process for the IPMR.

He added that as to the plan of the tribal council to amend the local guidelines, it cannot be amended if it is not used, and it cannot be adjusted to fit to one’s or a group’s personal interest.

Codilla also in a separate interview said that she is willing to contest NCIP’s decision saying that she had already passed additional documents and her genealogy to NCIP.

She said amid all these hurdles on her appointment she is firm in her belief that she is just being tested.

When she learned what Aguio said about the amendments of local guidelines, she said that this is the political bias of the NCIP. KVC