Koronadal City—The Provincial Government of South Cotabato is preparing to operate a Provincial Peace Center, gearing towards the convergence of programs, projects, and activities for anti-insurgency efforts.
Dennis Gasendo, Project Development Officer, said the center aims to consolidate all the services, specifically focused on the areas with a high incidence of insurgency in South Cotabato.
“We presented the mechanisms for the transformation program in the recent transformation program planning conducted by the Regional Peace and Order Council,” Gasendo said.
The Provincial Government of South Cotabato joined the Local Peace Engagement Office (LPEO) of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) during Transformation Program (TP) planning activity in General Santos City recently.
“The activity aimed at addressing the causes of the decade-long communist insurgency in the country with its ultimate aim of providing former rebels (FR) with the peace, security, and socioeconomic interventions required for their successful reintegration into mainstream society, Gasendo stressed.
The Peace Center would focus its efforts on areas that are hotbeds for communist guerrillas.
“It would be the nerve center to address problems and unrest in far-flung communities deprived of government services and interventions.
Based on the timeline, the Peace Center sets to implement next year. The Provincial Planning and Development Office put it in the Annual Investment Plan (AIP).