SOME 150 indigenous people (IP) peace volunteers completed their training on protecting their communities at Sitio Batiano, Barangay San Pedro, Caraga, Davao Oriental last Saturday, April 14.
Lieutenant Colonel Jake Obligado, commander of the 67th Infantry Battalion, acknowledged the significant contribution of the community in protecting their lands against atrocities perpetrated by the New People’s Army.
“Yong mga proseso natin makikita naman natin kung saan yong mga far flung areas, vulnerable areas, so in collaboration with the indigenous people’s mandatory representatives, the local chief executive, the mayors and the barangay captains, more importantly the tribal chieftains because they feel that their communities are vulnerable so therefore we need to strengthen them,” Obligado said in an interview.
He added that when there is weak governance, the enemy is strong and where there is good and strong governance, the enemy will be nowhere to be found. Obligado said that they already have around 700 peace development volunteers recorded in the first district of Davao Oriental except Tarragona from Manay, Caraga, Bangaga, Cateel, Boston, and Lingig in Surigao del Sur.
“We are counting for more. There are a lot of barangays already who are requesting for the same kind of activity and if ever matapos it may reached to 3,000,” he said.
He also downplayed accusation that they are making an army out of IP communities explaining that they are just helping these IP communities to build strong community to defend themselves, to implement the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA) law and enforce their customary laws.
“We are just strengthening the indigenous political structure. We are just strengthening the customary laws. We are just an instrument to empower them. They are already empowered but they need more empowerment,” he cited.
The peace volunteers underwent a five-day training which was divided into modules including livelihood program, government in action, people empowerment and responsibility awareness.
They were trained on disaster preparedness and how to properly deploy whenever there are threats from outside forces.
“The bottom line of all of this is teaching the community how to become the citizen,” he said.
These areas were identified as the mobility corridors of the enemy, the vulnerable communities wherein the enemies used to extort and kidnap people.
He also challenged the other tribe to stand for their communities similar to what the Mandaya tribe has been doing and to strengthen their indigenous political structure and respective Certificate of Ancentral Domain Title.
Since they started this program last April 2017, the 67th IB has recorded the rebels’ manpower to decrease to 100 from 290 back in February 2017, a decrease of almost 70 percent.
“The immediate effect of this is the reduction of the manpower of the New People’s Army, the reduction of the firearms and the clearing of barangays. We are almost 100 percent in clearing our barangays here and also with this effect, the impact would be very significant,” he said.
Their battalion, he said, has recorded zero atrocities committed by the NPA and a number have already surrendered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines since July.
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