Local government execs review framework agreement

LOCAL chief executives in Davao Region are now studying the framework agreement on Bangsamoro entity so they can come up with a collective stance on the deal that promises genuine lasting peace in Mindanao.

The Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC)-Davao, in its recent regular meeting, approved a resolution enjoining all the governors and mayors in the region to make their comments on the framework, together with their respective legal officers.

The opinions of the local leaders that will be collated into a single document will then be presented in an audience with the government peace panel.

The council is seeking a meeting with the peace panel on November 9, so the latter can brief the former on the features of the pact.

"We must study the framework in order to come up with relevant comments," RPOC-Davao chair Governor Rodolfo del Rosario urged the members of the council.

The governor said the collective opinion of the local officials will form part of the draft of annexes of the signed agreement, which is set to be finalized before the year ends.

At the same time, RPOC-Davao will look into the impact of numerous government programs and projects implemented in conflict-affected areas in the region.

Del Rosario said the council is setting up a mechanism to determine whether the interventions being poured into the conflict-prone communities are attaining their desired impact.

The governor has pushed for the evaluation of the projects after noting that communist insurgency continues to persist in specific communities despite the abundance of government programs and projects.

The council's newly created Human Development Committee (HDC) reported that over half-a-billion pesos worth of projects were implemented in 19 conflict-affected areas in Davao Region.

Del Rosario said the flurry of interventions is designed to cut down the insurgency problem in the countryside. Yet, he lamented the revolutionary movement continues to affect and influence a number of communities in spite of the government assistance.

"We need to analyze all the projects that we are undertaking and determine what else is needed so the communities will appreciate them," the governor said.

According to him, it is important to ascertain the projects should be felt directly by the recipient communities.

The council consequently approved the conduct of a training on conflict-sensitivity and peace-promotive planning among member agencies, for them to be able to identify the right mix of interventions that address the root cause of the conflict at once.