A PEACE-building mission was organized in Pange, village Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte to empower the children and provide them peace space amid the conflict.
The activity was held amid the successive armed clashes in the villages of Pange between the Army troops and New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.
The peace-building mission was organized by the Army composing troops from 53rd Infantry Battalion, 547th Engineer Battalion, 97th Infantry Battalion, and 1st Field Artillery Battalion; and SKH - "Saka sa Kaugmaon nga Hamugaway," a non-profit organization headed by Faye Reyes, in partnership with Rural Health Units of Guipos and Dumalinao towns in Zamboanga del Sur, and Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte.
The Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade said in a statement that the objective of the peace-building mission was to promote peace education to teach nonviolence, cultures of peace, and respect for authority.
The activities in the two-day mission, which was held last week, gave importance to the children's well-being and psychosocial care.
The village of Pange has 350 families with more than 600 children and youths ranging from ages zero to five, six to 12, and 13 to 22 years old.
During the peace building sessions, the children got to play different art therapy games and learned values in each game; they also had a drawing workshop that can help them process their thoughts and feelings.
“These peace sessions enable the children to communicate their positive emotions and dreams to improve their well-being. In part, the team was able to distribute 332 bags to children from Kinder level to Grade 6, including slippers, toys,” the 102nd Infantry Brigade said.
The brigade said that the municipal government of Siayan also held a serbisyo caravan on the activity proper which included a free mass wedding and civil registration.
Pange Village Chief Fernando Tanyap said that this was the first time the children in the area felt such happiness and joy, after being engaged by the Army and various institutions and organizations.
“This was the first time not just our children, but us parents also, felt empowered. This was the first time we saw our children smile like that, with such happiness and joy in their humble faces,” Tanyap said in a local dialect.
Meanwhile, Mayor Josecor Gepolongca, Siayan Municipal Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (MTF-ELCAC) chairperson, commended the conduct of the peace-building mission.
“Vividly, the full trust of our people is now on our side because of the fruitful result of our activities in relation to ELCAC.” Gepolongca said.
Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera, commander of the 53rd Infantry Battalion, said that the Army, through the TF-ELCAC, will continue to facilitate the delivery of basic and government services to far-flung villages.
“Being in the hinterlands, if you cannot come down to avail of the government programs and services, we will ensure that the government will come to you,” Herrera said.
The village of Pange is a four-hour hike by foot, and one-hour travel time by motorcycles, which the locals call "habal-habal." (SunStar Zamboanga)