OPAPRU highlights media role in Caraga local peace efforts

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 6, 2024): OPAPRU highlights media role in Caraga local peace efforts (By Alexander Lopez)

LOCALIZED PEACE EFFORTS. Philippine Information Agency and OPAPRU officials lead the two-day orientation on the Localized Peace Engagement (LPE) program in Butuan City on Sept. 5-6, 2024. Twenty-five media practitioners across Caraga were oriented on their roles in peace campaigns. The officials include Oliver Binancilan (left), operations officer of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) in Mindanao; Atty. Tadeo Culla (center), PIA assistant director-general for organizational development and international affairs; and PIA Caraga regional head Venus Garcia. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)

BUTUAN CITY – Twenty-five media practitioners in the Caraga Region participated in a two-day orientation organized by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), which concluded Friday.

Lawyer Tadeo Culla, PIA assistant director-general for organizational development and international affairs, said the Sept. 5-6 event aimed to strengthen the government’s peace information campaign.

“This activity broadens the perspectives of media practitioners on the OPAPRU’s Localized Peace Engagement (LPE) and transformation programs,” Culla said.

Oliver Binancilan, OPAPRU’s operations officer in Mindanao, provided insights into LPE’s implementation, emphasizing how the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), and the National Democratic Front (NDF) have weakened in Caraga.

“The reduction of NPA guerrilla fronts, surrenders of leaders, and withdrawal of support from mass bases highlight the gains against insurgency in Caraga,” Binancilan said, crediting the whole-of-nation approach for these results.

LPE includes community consultations, former rebel reintegration, and localized peace dialogues. It aims to sustain gains and prevent CPP-NPA-NDF resurgence by uniting local governments, agencies, private sectors, and media to lead peace campaigns.

Binancilan noted that synchronized efforts are crucial to maintaining cleared areas and preventing renewed armed conflicts. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1232815