In her capacity as chairperson of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) in Zamboanga Peninsula, Mayor Beng Climaco graced the 2nd Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) meeting Tuesday in support of the whole-of-nation approach to end insurgency in the countryside.
Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) and Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista presided over the meeting hosted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office 9.
Climaco strongly believes that the practice of good governance in all levels and to encourage all residents to support peace efforts would address insurgency, thereby decreasing armed engagement.
For his part, Sec. Bautista urged local chief executives, heads of agencies and the private sector to be part of the loop by rallying behind President Duterte’s whole-of-nation approach in nation building.
“Hope we can achieve more and sustain the efforts of Region 9,” Bautista said as he commended the accomplishments and achievements of the region presented by DOLE-9 Regional Director Ofelia B. Domingo.
In her report, Domingo bannered the DOLE interventions for displaced canning and fishing factory workers in Zamboanga City as a result of the closed fishing season.
These interventions included farming, poultry raising, cacao and super-hot chili planting to address vegetable shortage in Mindanao.
She said these interventions had transformed the canning/fishing industry dependents from being workers to becoming agricultural entrepreneurs—as a way to achieve inclusive and sustainable peace in the region.
It was also emphasized that the target GRDP is 8.2% by 2022 and reduce poverty incidence by 23% in 2022.
Highlight of the meeting was the approval of the ZamPen Areas for Peace and Development or ZPAD aimed at promoting the establishment of durable peace and order in the Zamboanga Peninsula region. It us culture sensitive, inclusive and participatory, and its banner program is the RTF-ELCAC.
Also approved was the adoption of the Priority Cluster Areas and the Clustered Timeline of Implementation. The RTF-ELCAC 9 logo was likewise adopted.-(Vic Larato)