CARAVAN LAUNCHING. Members of the North Cotabato Peace and Order Council approve the holding of 'Serbisyo Caravan' project to implement the 'whole-of-nation' approach in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace in the province during a meeting on October 1. The caravan will start on October 15 in three of eight identified communist-influenced villages in the province. (Photo courtesy of North Cotabato PPOC)
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- The North Cotabato provincial government seeks to sustain the gains of peace initiatives across the province by pushing for the full implementation of Executive Order (EO) 70 or the "whole-of-nation" approach in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace, an official said Wednesday.
The implementation of EO 70 in the province will be carried out through a “Serbisyo Caravan” under the Retooled Community Service Program (RCSP), which will be piloted in the villages of Balite and Basak in Magpet town and Kabalantian in Arakan town, both in North Cotabato, starting October 15.
Josephine Leysa, director of the Department of the Interior and Local Governments (DILG) – Region 12, said the three villages were among the eight priority barangays that have been identified by the Philippine Army as communist-influenced barangays in the province of North Cotabato.
Leysa identified five of the remaining "communist-influenced" barangays as Ladayon in Arakan: Don Panaca in Magpet; Luayon and Malabuan both in Makilala; and Batang in Tulunan.
The “Serbisyo Caravan” was finalized during the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting held on October 1, 2019, at the provincial capitol in Barangay Amas here.
The caravan project is among the major activities of the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) in North Cotabato.
Leysa said “Serbisyo Caravan” involves sectoral consultations with women, PWDs (persons with disabilities) senior citizens, youth under 18 years old, farmers, fisherfolk, laborers and NGOs/POs (Non-Government Organizations or Private Organizations) as the basis for matching of services.
North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, serving as acting governor and acting PPOC chair, stressed the importance of compliance in the directive by requiring RCSP members of the five remaining "communist-influenced" villages to complete all the required documents before their “Serbisyo Caravan” schedule. (PNA)
