Caraga Prepares Plan of Action to End Local Armed Conflicts

DILG 13, in coordination with NEDA 13, initiated the conduct of the Caraga Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) Clusters Orientation and Planning on July 25, 2019 in Balanghai Hotel and Convention Center, Butuan City.

The activity was seen necessary to ensure that all 12 clusters for the 12 line of efforts to efficiently converge in implementing the Whole-of-Nation Approach (WNA), after the Regional Development Council (RDC) and the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) officially adopted the said RTF through the Joint Caraga RDC-RPOC Resolution No. 1, s. 2019 during the Joint Full Councils Meeting held on June 26, 2019 in Balanghai Hotel and Convention Center.

Director Lilibeth Famacion of DILG, in her opening message, recalled that Cabinet Secretary Karlos Alexei Nograles who is also the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) for Caraga, has mentioned the necessity for each cluster to conduct an organizational meeting. Director Famacion also said that “While several orientations and activities on Executive Order No. 70 have already been conducted, we still take cognizance of the challenges and difficulties in operationalizing the whole of government approach at the local level.”

The activity was paved for the 12 Clusters to meet, organize, and discuss relevant reports or cluster updates and prepare a Cluster Action Plan to operationalize the respective tasks, as articulated in the NTF-ELCAC National Implementation Plan 2019-2022. It was also an avenue to popularize the WNAconcept as a strategy to end local communist armed conflict to as many stakeholders and partners for better appreciation and understanding, such that the whole of government, the private sectors, civil society organizations and other relevant institutions and groups are organized for peace and development.

Director Manuel Orduna of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) R-X provided inputs regarding the EO 70 while the task of discussing the implementation plan of each cluster was left to the lead agency/ies during the breakout session for planning, which was assisted/facilitated by both NEDA and DILG personnel.

Director Famacion also mentioned that the DILG has already drafted the guidelines for the localization of EO 70, wherein the creation of the Provincial Task Force for ELCAC and the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) Teams for the City and Municipal level are among the significant provisions.

“Caraga region has still a lot of things to work on, yet we should not discount the efforts we’ve been putting for peace and development, as we put premium on the integration of peace-building processes through our Peace and Development Zone (PDZ) initiatives,” she said.

In conclusion, the clusters’ orientation and planning raised the expectation for clusters to work in harmony for the achievement of their tasks. (DILG PR)