TACLOBAN CITY – The three governors in Samar Island reiterated their commitment to peace during the Samar Island Peace and Development Partners Forum Wednesday, August 17, in Catbalogan City.
The event also attended by national government agencies revisited the 2017-2022 Regional Peace and Prosperity Roadmap; identified the actions taken by the concerned stakeholders; surfaced the challenges encountered; and outlined ways forward for a renewed commitment to the Peace and Development Framework of Samar Island.
The forum conducted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Eastern Visayas (DILG-8), through the initiative of the Local Governance Regional Resource Center, was attended by Gov. Sharee Ann Tan of Samar, Gov. Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar, Gov. Edwin Ongchuan of Northern Samar; Major Gen. Edgardo de Leon, commanding officer, 8th Infantry Division, mayors, and regional representatives of various national government agencies.
Ongchuan said he has imposed the development agenda dubbed as Sustained Progress through the Cluster Approach which is pivotal to upholding peace initiatives as it complements poverty reduction efforts.
“Poverty incidence among the population decreased considerably from a high of 51.5 percent in 2015 to 23.1 percent in 2021,” he said.
Interventions for the continuous clearing of conflict-affected communities were also pursued to realize an enabling environment for peace and development.
He added that since its inception, Northern Samar Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict actualized the whole-of-nation approach, and employed the Retooled Community Support Program, resulting in a 79 percent decrease in the number of New People’s Army-affected barangays from 2020 to 2022.
For the next few years, Ongchuan proposed the construction of more ELCAC roads in Las Navas, Northern Samar.
“The construction of more road networks in the heart of Samar Island will deter the operations of CTGs in these areas. More importantly, road interconnectivity addresses interrelated primary and secondary issues such as the delivery of basic social services, transportation, and increased agricultural productivity,” he emphasized.
Evardone emphasized the need to consolidate their development, agriculture, tourism, and health plans for Samar Island that will be presented to the Regional Development Council, and eventually to the President for funding.
Tan thanked the Philippine Army for not only supporting their peace program but also for playing an important role in their agriculture programs such as the “tabo” or weekend market in Catbalogan.