CABITEN, Mankayan -- Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles said the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) projects in Benguet continue to benefit communities.
Deles, during the turnover program of a farm to market (FMR) road Sunday morning, said it is no secret that conflict has been part of the environment in the province but because of the success of the project implementation, things have been looking up.
"We know that peace and development is wanted in Benguet," she said.
Aside from the FMR opening, a livelihood project in the same town is set to see completion giving the Benguet Saguday Livelihood Association (BSLAI) a poultry business.
The BSLAI farm workers have completed the 10x5 square meter chicken cage around a 1,000 sq. meter lot where free-range sasso chickens will be bred giving livelihood to former Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army members who have chosen to change for peace.
The project for the BSLAI "Organic Chicken Raising with Feeds Processing; Farm inputs Trading" has a funding of P2,700,000 with its first tranche given to the community, three more tranches will be downloaded to see the final completion of the project.
The OPAPP has led the downloading of the Community-Driven Enterprise Development approach to give projects to the communities under the Pamana program.
Former CPLA members now form an economic enterprise, Cordillera Forum for Peace and Development (CFPD) People’s Organization, and are recipients of over P2.7M worth of projects in the province for various livelihood and infrastructure projects.
Deles said Benguet is among areas where the completion and processing of Pamana projects is going on schedule along with Apayao and Abra.
Deles pointed out projects in Benguet are moving faster than other identified areas because of its relatively lesser number of undertakings being a low impact area for CPLA presence.
Meanwhile the improvement and opening of Cabiten-Kamantaki FMR has a total project cost of cost of P8 million, which was coursed through the Department of the Interior and Local Government completed in March.
The road will benefit 454 households and nearby agricultural areas where farmers can now transport their produce without delay using the concrete road.
During Sunday turnover ceremonies Deles was joined by Governor Nestor Fongwan, Mankayan Mayor Materno Luspian as well as DILG regional Director John Castañeda.