RPOC-XI to assess programs, projects in conflict areas

 by Noel Baguio

Gov. Rodolfo P. del Rosario presides over the recent meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC)-XI in Davao City. Noel Baguio/DavNor PIO

The Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC)-XI will look into the impact of numerous government programs and projects implemented in conflict-affected areas in the Davao region.

RPOC-XI Chair Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario said the council is setting up a mechanism to determine whether the interventions being poured into the conflict-prone communities are attaining their desired impact.

The governor pushed for the evaluation of the projects after noting that communist insurgency continues to persist in specific communities despite the abundance of government programs and projects.

The Council’s newly-created Human Development Committee (HDC) reported that over half-a-billion pesos worth of projects were implemented in 19 conflict-affected areas in Region XI.

Del Rosario said the flurry of interventions is designed to cut down the insurgency problem in the countryside. Yet, he laments the revolutionary movement continues to affect and influence a number of communities in spite of the government assistance.

“We need to analyze all the projects that we are undertaking and determine what else is needed so the communities will appreciate them,” the governor said at the recent RPOC-XI meeting in Davao City.

According to him, it is important to ascertain the projects should be felt directly by the recipient communities.

The Council consequently approved the conduct of a training on conflict-sensitivity and peace-promotive planning among member agencies, for them to be able to identify the right mix of interventions that address the root cause of the conflict at once.

“Conflict-sensitivity and peace-promotive analysis will help ensure that our programs and projects will really be the right mix of interventions,” said NEDA-XI Director Ma. Lourdes Lim.

Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario, left, and Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas exchange views on the coming elections at the recent meeting of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC)-XI in Davao City. Noel Baguio/DavNor PIO