MEDICAL SERVICES. Barangay midwife Mary Jane Sabudan feeds a severely-malnourished baby in the isolated IP community of Sitio Tapayanon, Kapalong, Davao del Norte during the “whole-of-nation service convergence caravan” on Nov. 10-14, 2019. Some 700 residents of the IP community, which was once a lair of the New People’s Army, benefited from the multi-stakeholder outreach. (Photo courtesy of Noel Baguio)
An Indigenous Peoples (IP) leader of an isolated community in the Davao del Norte town of Kapalong has expressed gratitude for the November 10-14 outreach, saying it was the first time for the village to receive basic services from outside groups, including the government.
Datu Bansing Balamban, tribal chieftain of Sitio Tapayanon, Kapalong, said the village's geographic isolation has made it difficult for the government or any organization to deliver any form of services.
Balamban said the village's existence was only discovered when government troops belonging to the Army’s 60th Infantry Battalion (IB) had wandered into the area while on a combat operation on February 25 this year.
Located at the edge of Kapalong’s Barangay Gupitan along the boundaries of Davao del Norte, Bukidnon, and Agusan del Sur, the area was identified by military authorities as a lair of the communist New People's Army (NPA).
Upon hearing of the area's discovery from the Army, Governor Edwin Jubahib visited the place in July and assured the villagers of government support as part of the Capitol's peace engagement initiative.
Early this month, Jubahib fulfilled that promise and assembled a multi-stakeholder outreach to hold a four-day "service caravan" that ended on Thursday.
Because of the absence of access roads, people and goods used in the caravan were ferried by military choppers in batches.
Balamban said residents were grateful for the various services poured into the area during the caravan, led by the provincial government, national line agencies, the Army, and even charitable organizations.
Some 700 residents benefited from the November 10-14 service caravan, which included medical services, civil registration, household assessment for the Listahanan program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, livelihood training, Alternative Learning System, and distribution of school supplies, relief food, and other items.
During the caravan, some 63 couples also tied the knot in a traditional mass tribal wedding.
“We are very happy with the services extended by the government. We now feel that they truly care for us,” Balamban said.
Lt. Amadeus Celestial, 60IB civil-military operations officer, said the delivery of government services to the isolated community underscored the government’s "relentless campaign" to tackle the root causes of insurgency.
“We need to help Sitio Tapayanon because this area was once a refuge of the three regional commands of the NPA," Celestial said.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086072
Datu Bansing Balamban, tribal chieftain of Sitio Tapayanon, Kapalong, said the village's geographic isolation has made it difficult for the government or any organization to deliver any form of services.
Balamban said the village's existence was only discovered when government troops belonging to the Army’s 60th Infantry Battalion (IB) had wandered into the area while on a combat operation on February 25 this year.
Located at the edge of Kapalong’s Barangay Gupitan along the boundaries of Davao del Norte, Bukidnon, and Agusan del Sur, the area was identified by military authorities as a lair of the communist New People's Army (NPA).
Upon hearing of the area's discovery from the Army, Governor Edwin Jubahib visited the place in July and assured the villagers of government support as part of the Capitol's peace engagement initiative.
Early this month, Jubahib fulfilled that promise and assembled a multi-stakeholder outreach to hold a four-day "service caravan" that ended on Thursday.
Because of the absence of access roads, people and goods used in the caravan were ferried by military choppers in batches.
Balamban said residents were grateful for the various services poured into the area during the caravan, led by the provincial government, national line agencies, the Army, and even charitable organizations.
Some 700 residents benefited from the November 10-14 service caravan, which included medical services, civil registration, household assessment for the Listahanan program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, livelihood training, Alternative Learning System, and distribution of school supplies, relief food, and other items.
During the caravan, some 63 couples also tied the knot in a traditional mass tribal wedding.
“We are very happy with the services extended by the government. We now feel that they truly care for us,” Balamban said.
Lt. Amadeus Celestial, 60IB civil-military operations officer, said the delivery of government services to the isolated community underscored the government’s "relentless campaign" to tackle the root causes of insurgency.
“We need to help Sitio Tapayanon because this area was once a refuge of the three regional commands of the NPA," Celestial said.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086072
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.