The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) turned over P11.7 million in socio-economic assistance to former rebel-led people’s organizations (POs) in Soccsksargen (Region 12), advancing its localized Transformation Program in non-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) areas.

Presidential Peace Adviser Mel Senen Sarmiento confirmed the release of the funds on Sunday, May 17, stressing that the initiative aims to sustain peace gains in conflict-vulnerable communities by providing seed capital for enterprise development.

"The OPAPRU was able to deliver its socio-economic commitments under our Transformation Program framework in key provinces in Mindanao, specifically in Region 12, as several former rebel people’s organizations received seed capital as livelihood assistance," Sarmiento said.

The OPAPRU and the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office in Soccsksargen (DSWD-12) distributed the funds during the second week of May as they partnered with local provincial government units to award checks and certificates of accreditation to qualified PAMANA Livelihood Program Associations (PLPAs).

According to Sarmiento, the P11.7 million fund benefits 39 organizations across South Cotabato, Sarangani, Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. These groups comprise former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

Sarmiento said the OPAPRU profiled and validated the associations before the release of the money. The funding for the projects came from the OPAPRU’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) Program National Project Management Office while the agency's CPP-NPA-NDF Peace Process Office endorsed the list of eligible beneficiaries.

"This livelihood assistance presents a very good opportunity to strengthen and sustain peace gains in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas, and support the successful transformation of former rebels into their communities in Region 12," Sarmiento noted.

According to OPAPRU, the enterprise types vary by province based on local economic needs.

For example, Cotabato Province focuses on agricultural supplies, rice retailing, mini-groceries, and frozen meat production while Sarangani implements projects ranging from goat raising and general merchandise to rice wholesale operations.

Meanwhile, South Cotabato beneficiaries chose swine fattening, rice retailing, and agri-vet stores; and Sultan Kudarat recorded the highest number of projects as its communities established coffee processing plants, chair-and-table rentals, and mixed agri-commercial enterprises in municipalities like Kalamansig, Palimbang, Lebak, Esperanza, and Columbio.

The OPAPRU said that the monitoring duties now fall on LCT-FISU Mindanao and DSWD 12 as they were tasked to track the exact economic progress of the 39 initial FR-led POs that received P300,000 each.

Lawyer Elisa Evangelista-Lapina, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Executive Director for Local Conflict Transformation, leads the tracking initiative.

“By shifting from an ‘input-based’ model to one that measures the actual growth of human capital within these 39 FR-led associations, the government is building the resilience of communities against conflict and the recovery efforts of the communist group,” Evangelista said.

Early program implementations include the Tamayao Kasbakas PAMANA Livelihood Program Association in Sarangani and the MIPAFA in Cotabato. These groups utilized their PAMANA and Peace and Development – Buong Bansa Mapayapa (PDBBM) allocations to build portable gasoline stations, general stores, and shared farming facilities.

Sarmiento explained that the strategy operates without a formal national peace agreement with the CPP-NPA-NDF. The Transformation Program fills this gap by utilizing Conflict-Sensitive and Peace-Promoting (CSSP) approaches, which addresses grassroots issues through four pillars: Security, Confidence Building, Healing and Reconciliation, and Socio-Economic Intervention.

"This localized strategy ensures that the transition from conflict to civilian life is not merely a surrender, but a holistic evolution supported by the provincial government to address the root causes of insurgency at the grassroots level," Sarmiento said.

The security pillar ensures physical protection; confidence-building restores trust in the state; healing and reconciliation repair community relationships; and socio-economic intervention delivers livelihood stability.

Sarmiento stressed that these pillars rely on a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach.

"Under the guidance of President Marcos, Jr., our goal is not merely putting an end to armed conflict but the cultivation of a lasting, positive peace. By bringing the government closer to the people through the Transformation Program, we are proving that good things happen to those who walk the path of peace," the peace adviser said.