Last Friday, I had the honor of taking part in the commemoration of the third anniversary of the declaration of Davao del Norte as “insurgency-free,” marking another shining moment for the people of the province.

As I stood onstage, I was overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. I recalled the days when as a young military officer assigned in Panabo, Davao del Norte, I almost lost my life during an armed encounter with the Maoist group. By the grace of God, I survived the seven-hour long close battle with the main and sub-regional guerrilla units then under ‘Kumander Bensar, Egod and Parago.’

It is, therefore, remarkable to see how a province, which was once considered the hotbed of the communist insurgency, has transformed into one of the most peaceful and progressive areas not only in the Davao Region and Mindanao but across the country.

We believe there are three key factors that enabled the province to achieve and maintain its insurgency-free status: the whole-of-government approach, localized peace engagements (LPE), and the Transformation Program for former rebels.

Executive Order No. 70, which gave birth to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), mandated a “whole-of-nation,” approach wherein all sectors of society shall work together to address the decades-long armed rebellion.

Under this whole-of-government approach, national line agencies, local government units, civil society, religious community and the security sector supported and complemented each other’s initiatives to free communities from grip of the insurgent group.

Through the NTF-ELCAC’s 12 lines of effort, the national government pursued a holistic and integrated approach wherein the goal was to address the main roots of the armed rebellion – poverty, marginalization and the lack of economic opportunities.

The NTF-ELCAC also paved the way for the implementation of the LPE, which is among the 12-lines of effort, as well as the Transformation Program that is redefining how the government can best deal with the challenges of the communist insurgency.

The strength of the LPE lies in its community-driven approach wherein provincial local government units, in partnership with the military, are taking the lead in convincing members of the rebel group to lay down their arms and return to the folds of the law.

Under the leadership of Governor Edwin “Kuya Gov” Jubahib, this is exactly what Davao del Norte did, as the provincial government’s interventions focused on carrying out interventions that aimed to uplift the lives of the former rebels (FRs).

The provincial government, in collaboration with the 10th Infantry “Agila” Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, rolled out the Development Support and Security Plan (DSSP) “Kapayapaan,” which went beyond traditional military operations.

Through the DSPP and later on, the NTF-ECLAC, Davao del Norte was able to break the rebel group’s false narrative and demonstrate the national and provincial governments’ genuine commitment to help and serve the people.

We at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) have been working closely with Gov. Jubahib over the years and we can say that he is the epitome of what a true public servant should be: selfless, highly-committed and a visionary.

In 2020, we partnered with the office of Gov. Jubahib to provide socioeconomic assistance to members of the Ata Manobo tribe who were rescued from the Haran in Davao City.

The following year, the OPAPRU, together with the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte, launched “Bahay Pangkapayapaan,” a peace village which will be the home of 125 indigenous peoples (IP) families who were once exploited by the communist insurgents.

And under the Transformation Program, which is being implemented by the OPAPRU in partnership with PLGUs, we aim to respond to the pressing issues and concerns affecting our FRs, their families and communities.

Through the program’s four major components - security, confidence-building measures, healing and reconciliation, and socio-economic interventions – these FRs will be able to reintegrate into mainstream society as peaceful and productive civilians.

With the help of our PLGU partners, we have crafted 51 provincial Transformation Program plans and opened 14 peace and development centers throughout the country. Eighteen provinces have fully integrated peacebuilding into their local systems and budgets.

But in the final analysis, what matters most is the presence of good, accountable and people- centered governance which is the hallmark of the Davao del Norte provincial government under the stewardship of Gov. Jubahib.

The governor has shown during his term of office that despite the many challenges that local governments need to confront, it is possible to create an environment that is anchored on mutual respect, understanding and dialogue.

We are happy that this kind of leadership is also reflective of other governors in Mindanao. Another local official who has been a staunch peace champion in Mindanao is Agusan del Norte Governor Maria Angelica Amante, who led the provincial government in the establishment of the Kagawasan 143 Peace and Development Center.

The Kagawasan Peace Center, the first such facility in the country to be set up with the support of OPAPRU, is now taking the lead in implementing the province’s various peacebuilding interventions that will mainly benefit FRs and their families.

As Davao del Norte celebrates three years of being insurgency-free, rest assured that the OPAPRU will continue to stand behind and support the province in building a brighter, peaceful and more progressive future for its people.

Speaking at a program in Davao City in 2022 wherein he declared the Davao Region as insurgency-free, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said: “We cannot afford to go back to square one.”

“So peace and progress always go hand-in-hand. One cannot do without the other as both elements are essential to create an environment that is able to thrive and reach its full potential amidst our rapidly changing world,” the President stressed.

With the unwavering resolve shown by the people of Davao del Norte, there is no doubt that the province will sustain its insurgency-free status in the years to come.