Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Sowing the seeds of peace — the CSR way

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 19, 2019): Sowing the seeds of peace — the CSR way (By 1st Special Force Battalion)

MANOLO FORTICH, Bukidnon, November 19 — “Reaching the poor, even in the most challenging conditions is the key to ending extreme poverty. We need to focus on empowering the individual so that each one of us becomes an agent of peace,” said Vicente T. Mills Jr, president of the Rotary Club of Makati during the awarding of P950,000 livelihood grant to the Indigenous Peoples (IP) groups.

Through the Philippine Army, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the livelihood grant was turned over to five people’s organizations of Libona, Manolo Fortich, and Sumilao towns all in Bukidnon province.

During the signing of Memorandum of Understanding at Alomah’s Place in Dahilayan, Manolo Fortich, Mills said this is not the end of the cooperation but just the beginning.


Lt.Col. Sergio Macarandan Jr., commander of the 1st Special Force Battalion, thank Vicente Mills Jr, President of Rotary Club of Makati, for supporting the government's whole-of-nation approach of ending local armed conflict.

“This is a long term process. Let’s work together to make this endeavor a milestone,” he said.

The undertaking, known as the Rotary Peace Project, will cover around 700 IPs. It seeks to contribute to poverty reduction and mobilize the marginalized and the poor who are often left out from micro-credit schemes.

Further, the project will help enhance a community-driven approach that will allow beneficiaries to collectively identify, prioritize, plan, and implement their development needs, which is in support of the government’s whole-of-nation approach to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or ELCAC as specified in President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70 (EO 70).

Beneficiaries include former rebels who are vulnerable and defenseless to any violence pulled off by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) terrorists.

DOLE Bukidnon chief Raul Valmores said the five IP organizations, having been registered, are now entitled to all rights and privileges of legitimate workers such as mutual aid, sustainable livelihood grants, and protection of its members, among other privileges in accordance with its constitution and by-laws. These five IP group recipients are: I Love Bagalangit - Manolo Fortich; I Love Licoan - Sumilao; I Love Lupiagan - Sumilao; I Love Ocasion - Sumilao; and I Love Capihan - Libona.

As part of the core group to sustain the project, Marcos Arbole, Vice President of Rotary Club of Northern Mindanao and Crispulo G. Vidad Jr., Past Assistant Governor of Rotary Club of Northern Mindanao District 3870, pledged to monitor the progress of the three approved ventures namely Beads making, Textile and Dressmaking (tribal attire), and Organic vegetable farming.

Corporate participation in peacebuilding


During a Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility Communications Secretary Martin Andanar emphasizes the important role that CSR plays in attaining mutual understanding and peace in conflict-affected areas.

“All of us, everyone, the whole nation is dutifully responsible for peace. We produce peace from our homes, we pursue it outside our homes, and we preserve it in the whole of the nation for all the time and for all,” said Communications Secretary Martin Andanar as he spoke before stakeholders of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) in a forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in October at Cagayan de Oro City.

He emphasized the important role that CSR plays in attaining mutual understanding and peace in conflict-affected areas.

Secretary Andanar, who is the designated Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security for Northern Mindanao (CORDS-X), urged the business sector to continue promoting the culture of peace through resolve and action.

He also cited the private sectors’ contributions—through their respective CSRs—for doing their part in providing relief packs for victims of calamities, construction of classrooms, creating homes for Filipino families, and for helping the government make our nation a better place to live.

Chaired by President Duterte himself, the National Task Force-ELCAC’s mission is to ensure inter-agency convergence in project implementation to address causes of armed conflict at the local level. The task force works towards ensuring that social services, employment opportunities and improved quality of life should be spread out in areas experiencing clashes with communist rebels.

Working effectively with indigenous communities

The 1st Special Forces Battalion helped in linking up people’s organizations, the national government agencies, and civil society organizations through its Community Support Program (CSP) in conflict-affected areas and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

With the implementation of EO 70 as an institutionalized whole-of-nation approach in ending local communist armed conflict, the regional banner dubbed as Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev) launched programs and projects epochal to the community.

The 3K (Kaon, Kalipay, Kalinaw) Program of 403rd Infantry “Peacemaker” Brigade and the Special Forces Combined Actions of Re-engineered Efforts and Services (SF CARES) had been the unit's counterpart to the community development program.

Gratified by the spirit of generosity, the unit’s commanding officer, Lt. Colonel Sergio P. Macarandan Jr, bowed his beret to the people behind the Rotary Peace Project.

“My applause to the generosity of the Rotary Club of Makati. The launching of this phase created a great impact on the welfare and progress of the IPs. You have provided the avenue to generate income and taught them to value the skills they have acquired to support the financial needs of their families. Furthermore, the sustenance of this project lies not only to the people atop the flow chart but also to the people on the ground—the real maneuvers of the cycle. Sustenance comes from your efforts to hold it away from the cliff. Make it work and strive for sustainability,” Lt. Col. Macarandan said. (Maj. Frankjo C. Boral/1stSF Bn/PIA-10)

https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1030374

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