14 more NegOr villages await inclusion on BDP list

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 23, 2021): 14 more NegOr villages await inclusion on BDP list (By Mary Judaline Partlow)

TASK FORCE ELCAC. Negros Oriental village leaders with government agencies carry out assistance programs in this undated photo. Fourteen barangays in Negros Oriental affected by the insurgency have been included in the government's program to end local communist armed conflict, the office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in Negros Oriental said Friday (July 23, 2021). (PNA file photo)

Some 14 barangays affected by the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Negros Oriental will soon benefit from infrastructure projects and livelihood training under the Barangay Development Program (BDP) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Friday, Farah Gentuya, chief of the provincial office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), said the villages of Carol-an, Mabato, and Nabhang in Ayungon town; Nalundan, Atotes, Cabcaban, and Danao in Bindoy town; Banwague, Linantuyan, and Luz in Guihulngan City; Bantolinao, Candabong, and Salvacion in Manjuyod town; and Bago in Tayasan town will be included in the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) first as part of the validation for BDP inclusion.

RCSP is a government program that aims to address the needs of a village already cleared of insurgency.

However, these 14 villages will still have to be assessed by the Armed Forces validation team and should be subsequently declared free from the influence of the CPP-NPA.

Likewise, these barangays will be included in the Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) and eventually in the AFP-Community Support Program master list. They will then qualify to receive PHP20 million worth of projects, activities, and programs, based on the SBDP project menu, Gentuya said.

The DILG presented the list of additional barangays during a meeting of the Negros Oriental Task Force - ELCAC on July 22, which tackled the processes and requirements for the 14 barangays that have just been included in the program.

The regional ELCAC has listed 26 barangays under its coverage and has undertaken such activities as the “Dagyawan sa Barangay”, the “Talakayan ng Mamamayan” dialogue/consultation, and the Serbisyo Caravan, which brings basic services to the barangays.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1148048