Army cites PDOP progress in DavNor

From the Philippine Information Agency (Feb 6): Army cites PDOP progress in DavNor

The 1003rd Infantry Brigade in Davao del Norte is making headway in rolling out its Peace and Development Program (PDOP)  as it nears in their schedule to declare  the province as “totally normalized” from insurgency.

In an interview yesterday, Col. Harold Cabreros, commander of 1003re Inf. Bde described the implementation of PDOP  in hinterlands of Davao del Norte as “successful” citing  the confidence  that his command elicited from the people.

“Our PDOP is successful.  We were able to clear the (insurgency) affected  (areas) particularly in Kapalong, New Corella and San Isidro  and Asuncion and with the help of the others stakeholders, the LGUs from the provincial down to the barangay levels,” Cabreros said in an interview after the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) Meeting yesterday led by Provincial Governor Rodolfo P. Del Rosario.

Among the strategic activities done in target insurgency-affected areas were livelihood projects, medical  outreach activities, distribution of tree seedlings, among others, with the help of some non-government organizations  among which were the Kiwanis Club and The Fraternal Order of Eagles.

He also cited the Serbisyo Caravan of the Association of Regional Executive of National Agencies (ARENA) XI  conducted on Nov. 30 in Gupitan, Kapalong as among the major outreach activities  that had  helped the military bring back to the government the confidence of the Indigenous Peoples  (IP) communities.

In his report to the PPOC, the 1003rd troops also staged a drive to train community youths on leadership, waged a gift-giving activity in Christmas last year and even brought IP kids to dine with them at Jollibee Tagum.

“Noong pasko,  nanganga-roling ang ating mga sundalo sa bahay-bahay, tapos sila ang namigay ng regalo,” (Last Christmas the soldiers went caroling house to house and gave gifts)  he said in the PPOC meeting during which the 1003rd Inf. Bde. reported its accomplishment in 2014.

 This quarter, the 453th Engineering Battalion of the 1003rd Inf. Bde will construct a farm-to-market road in sitio Nasilaban in Talaingod and in sitio Patel in Kapalong, providing access roads to peripheral IP communities, he said.

“It is a welcome development  that the populace  has been waiting for,”  Cabreros said referring to residents of the far-flung communities where the military engineering battalion will open up a road in tie-up with LGUs.

As normalization efforts of the military is gaining ground,  Cabreros reported to PPOC that his command set to declare the entire province as normalized by last week of March or early April this year.

Cabreros made it clear that only portions of outskirts Barangay Gupitan in Kapalong and some sitios of Talaingod were eyed by his command as focused areas of “normalization" operation.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1591423201107/army-cites-pdop-progress-in-davnor