Sunday, April 13, 2014

Army peace teams sent to conflict-affected villages in NorCot town

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 13): Army peace teams sent to conflict-affected villages in NorCot town

The Philippine Army's 39th Infantry Battalion (IB) dispatched teams Saturday for its peace and development outreach program (PDOP) in Makilala, North Cotabato, citing the importance of the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan of the Armed Force of the Philippines (AFP).

The PDOP has one team each assigned to Makilala’s 29 villages.

Makilala is a municipality bordering Magsaysay and Bansalan towns in Davao del Sur, formerly used as pathway of New Peoples’ Army (NPA) rebels in crisscrossing the two provinces.

Earlier this year, the 39th IB based in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, formally expanded its area of responsibility to Makilala, which was drawn from the Army’s 57th IB.

Lt. Aldrin Moral, 39th IB civil-military operations officer, said government troopers would stay in the villages for three months to conduct surveys and assessment in relation to the delivery of services to the conflict-affected areas.

He said two PDOP teams were earlier deployed in the remote villages of Batasan, Luayon, Villa Flores and Malungon, all in Makilala.

He stressed that the troops intend to build peace, especially in the rebel-infested communities.

“We will assess the needs of the communities and help them to be ready for development," Moral said.

Latest AFP reports cited that military units completed 43 percent of peace and development team immersions in 1,797 villages in Central Mindanao, including those in North Cotabato province.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=634809

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