VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte continues to emphasize the importance of a corruption-free society and equal socio-economic opportunities by highlighting the intensified Davao Peace 911 which is now expanded across the city to further safeguard the peace and security in remote villages.
Under the administration of Sara Duterte, the City Government of Davao launched a comprehensive peace-building and development effort last 2019, which was deemed to be the strongest weapon against the rapid spread of communism.
“If there is free access to education, economic opportunities, health care services and other government initiatives, terrorists will have lesser chances to access them [to spread their influence]. A government that genuinely serves the people will not suffer from being betrayed by its people," Duterte said during the opening of Peace Village on Monday morning, September 11, 2023.
The country’s second highest official who is concurrently co-vice chairman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said that communist terrorist groups (CTGs) are presenting themselves as the defender of the people and the whole nation in general.
“The terrorists taught them to distrust the government, saying that there is absolutely nothing that could change their lives nga inutil daw ang gobyerno (that the government is useless). On the other hand, they are presenting themselves as the defender of the people, mga sundalo nga tigpanalipud sa mga kabos (On the other hand, they are presenting themselves as the defender of the people, soldiers who are defender of the poor)," she added.
In a separate speech, Secretary Leo Tereso Magno, Special Assistant to the President for Eastern Mindanao and Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security-Davao Region, applauded various local government units and their chief executives for achieving peace in the Davao Region.
“Today’s inauguration of this Peace Village is a testament that we have gone a long way in terms of peace and development in the Davao Region. And we have to give thanks to the OPAPRU for this. We also give credit to all the LGUs in the Davao Region including all other agencies, groups and organizations for their unwavering commitment in creating a nurturing environment where peace, reconciliation and unity thrive,” Magno said.
This year’s Peace Village: An Exhibit of Davao Region’s Milestones in Peace and Development was also led by Sec. Magno, Gov. Edwin Jubahib of Davao del Norte, other officials of different local government units (LGUs) from various regions, friends rescued (former rebels), regional line agencies, peace partners and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU).
The event is in line with the 2023 National Peace Consciousness Month which opened last September 1 this year.
Peace Village stands as a symbol of the government’s collective commitment to fostering peace, reconciliation and unity in the region. DEF