THE Provincial Peace and Order Council, Anti-Drug Abuse Council, and Benguet Governor Melchor Diclas issued measures creating a task force to end local communist armed conflict in the province.
Although Benguet is not a communist armed conflict affected province, the task force is set to give mechanisms that will strengthen local or traditional conflict resolution and management mechanisms, as well as establish formal and informal avenues for continuing dialogue.
“Benguet is not a communist armed conflict-affected province and has no vulnerable barangays. However, there is a need to provide supporting structures and mechanisms that will help the province in averting the emergence of conflcit in the future,” the resolution added.
Under the executive order, the Provincial Task Force is chaired by the provincial governor with the vice-governor as co-chair together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government Benguet provincial director, Benguet Provincial Police Office chief, Provincial Board committee on peace and order chair, provincial Liga ng mga Barangay president, Provincial Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) Federation president, provincial department heads among others.
The task force is tasked to ensure the creation of municipal task forces complemented by the Executive Order No. 70 entitled; “Institutionalizing the Whole-of Nation approach in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace, creating a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and directing the adoption of a National Peace Framework.”
They must ensure the local government units to include peace building initiatives as their priority in their Comprehensive Development Plan, Peace and Order and Public Safety Plan and Local development Investment Program.
Department of Agriculture Secretary William Dar, also cabinet officer for regional development secretary for Cordillera, in his visit in Baguio City last December presided the regional task force meeting to end local communist armed conflict during the Last Quarter Regional Development Council- Peace and Order Council.
Dar highlighted the joint responsibilities between Provincial and Municipal government in tandem with the national institutions stating the agricultural department to actively do its part in providing more socio economic activities and livelihood activities in 61 villages of Cordillera.