DO’s best practices on peace impress Cagayan, Davao City

DAVAO ORIENTAL— The delegations coming from the Local Government Units of Cagayan Valley and Davao City said they are “impressed” by Davao Oriental’s best practices on peace, especially on the implementation of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP). In a benchmarking activity held on February 4, Clarita

A. Lunas, Provincial Consultant from the Province of Cagayan Valley, said that they are interested in adopting Davao Oriental’s process on

how it runs its facility called Happy Home for the former rebels. She said that Cagayan Valley’s construction of its halfway house is now 60% complete and knowing the process would make the program implementation easier for them. She also cited the 10-day deradicalization course supervised by the 701st Brigade’s Ugnayan Center before turning them over to the Happy Home as effective in preparing former rebels to services and interventions for rehabilitation. Lunas noted that “coordination of all government agencies, the cooperation of each of the line agencies and their commitment are very important. We have seen for ourselves how people would work together, military with the stakeholders, and government agencies.” While Cagayan Valley Governor Manuel N. Mamba has already implemented programs for former rebels who surrendered to the folds of the law, Lunas said that the E-CLIP “would help us a lot especially in the pushing the programs of our governor because most hindrance in the implementation of the programs is peace and order.” Educational assistance for the children of the former rebels, financial assistance, empowerment, and employment opportunities are some of the Provincial Government’s efforts to thwart NPA recruitment and to end the insurgency, Lunas added. As Davao City hopes to operate their Kalinaw Village this year, City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) Maria Luisa T. Bermundo expressed her thanks for the opportunity to learn from the province’s successful E-CLIP implementation. Kalinaw Village is a project of Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte which serves as a temporary shelter to former rebels from three to six months while preparing them to be reintegrated back to their respective communities. “We come here for benchmarking to see how it is being operated, the role of the local government, the role of the provincial government. We noted the strong partnership, the convergence of public and the private sector,” she said. Since E-CLIP is a “vital component in the peace process,” she emphasized the importance of sustaining the program and the monitoring of former rebels after their reintegration to the community. She further commended Davao Oriental’s E-CLIP implementation which has successfully transformed the lives of 334 former rebels since 2013. “I’m happy that one of the best practices in working for our former rebels is here in Davao Oriental. I’m always proud and happy. The best practice is already in itself a positive outcome when it comes to the implementation of this project,” she added. Prior to visiting the Happy Home and Ugnayan Center, a series of lectures was been given to the visitors at the La-ne’s Kita-anan in the City of Mati. The lecture include E-CLIP Benefits presented by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Provincial Director Orle A. Cabaobao, Deradicalization Program by 701st Brigade Commander Brigadier General Manuel V. Sequitin, Firearms Remuneration by a representative from the Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office; and the Efforts of Nagkakaisang Lingkod-Bayan ng Davao Oriental Barangay Outreach Caravan (NLD-BOC) in strengthening the E-CLIP by Jane Maldo.