Government agencies and other groups held a caravan at the Edsa People Power monument and in various provinces to "celebrate the wins and milestones" of the Duterte administration, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Sunday, May 1.
DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said over two million people benefitted from the government services offered by the different government agencies since the caravan started in October 2021.
The caravans, dubbed as “Pamana ng Pagbabago Tungo sa Ganap na Kapayapaan", aims to showcase government programs, projects and activities on peace and order, infrastructure and development, and poverty alleviation as well as to deliver essential government services from various services at the doorstep of communities
“Over the last six years, the Duterte administration initiated a chain of positive events in our lives by ensuring peaceful and safe communities; getting rid of illegal drugs, combatting all forms of corruption; providing proactive and efficient social services, and upholding the human rights of the people, while moving towards post-COVID-19 economic recovery,” said Año.
“Lahat ng ito ay pamanang handog ng pamahalaan ni Pangulong Duterte para sa bansang Pilipinas at sa mga Pilipino, kasama na ang ating mga manggagawang Pilipino (All of these are gifts bequitted from the administration of President Duterte for the Philippines and Filipinos including the Filipino workers),’’ he added.
Año said the conduct of the last of the series of Duterte Legacy caravans coincided with Labor Day celebration to underscore the significant contributions of the labor sector to the Philippine economy and in the whole-of-nation approach to bring about real change on the ground level.
“Sa lahat ng mga manggagawa sa buong bansa, malaki ang inyong papel sa unti-unting pagbangon ng ating ekonomiya. Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagsisikap at dedikasyon at pakikiisa sa at suporta sa mga programa ng pamahalaan (To all the workers in the whole country, you play a major role in the gradual progress of the economy. Thank you very much for your continuous perseverance and dedication and cooperation and support to the programs of the government),’’ the DILG chief noted.
Organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) through the Philippine National Police (PNP), the caravans also include exhibit booths of government agencies offering various services, products of advocacy support groups, and live performances of famous bands and dance groups which all showcase the embodiment of good governance.
The DILG chief also cited the private partners and civil society organizations (CSOs) who joined and showcased their products during the said caravans stressing that “these advocacy support groups are force multipliers who also highlighted their services and activities as part of the whole-of-nation approach in bringing the government closer to the Filipino public.’’
Among the CSO members and force multipliers present during the nationwide caravans are Kabataan Kontra Droga at Terorismo (KKDAT), Joint Industrial Peace and Concern Office (JIPCO), Foreign National Keepers Network (FNKN), National Coalition of IT Advocates for Change, Global PCR, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) groups, barangay-based organizations, and faith-based organizations.
Some of the essential government services from various agencies offered in the past caravans are: issuance of police clearance; health check-ups; free haircut; PhilHealth registration; processing of birth, marriage, and death certificates; distribution of food packs and Nego Cart Packages; and Mobile Kusina Tele-Eskwela Bayanihan hot meals.
SBDP projects in caravan
DILG Undersecretary Jonathan E. Malaya said local projects under the Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) were also showcased during the caravans.
He explained that the SBDP is the last phase of the strategy to achieve peace in communities from the declaration of insurgency-free communities by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and PNP to the capacity development program of the DILG Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP).
So far, Malaya disclosed that 293 out of 2,318 SBDP FY 2021 projects in insurgency-cleared and geographically isolated disadvantaged areas (GIDA) barangays have been completed; 1,362 are ongoing implementation; 346 are on procurement stage; and 317 are on pre-procurement stage.
“We have heard many good feedback from the ground on how the people living in insurgency-cleared areas are now experiencing development for the first time in a very long time. The SBDP as part of the whole-of-nation approach to ELCAC is a very good concept. We just hope the next set of administration builds on what we have started,” Malaya said. (Chito A. Chavez)