‘Bayanihan’ spurs rural devt, addresses armed conflict issues

CEBU CITY-- The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) through its assistant secretary Anthony Gerard Gonzales has called on the local leaders in the Visayas regions to push for grassroots-led development via community convergence or ‘bayanihan’ to spur rural development and address the issues on armed conflict, insurgency and or social injustice in the barangays and the countryside.

In a “Dagyawan sa Barangay: Talakayan ng Mamamayan” in Dumanjug, Southern Cebu on Wednesday Gonzales said that the “Bayanihan” or “Dagyawan sa Barangay” is a community convergence of key government officials and community leaders and is part of the efforts of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) in Central Visayas that aimed to boost development in the countryside.

“We have been fighting this war on armed conflict for 50 years now and we realize that what we really need is ‘bayanihan or dagyawan’ to put an end to armed conflict.   We are here to plan out how we can further the development in our barangays, municipalities, provinces, regions and our nation.  The source of our progress really emanates from the barangay level,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales stated that part of the government’s efforts on the ELCAC program is to ensure the implementation of key projects for the local communities particularly the insurgency-affected and vulnerable areas at the countryside.

He added that planning is very essential in the process and there is a need to make sure that these projects are being implemented.  Addressing the communist insurgency problem has now been geared towards demonstrating good governance to bring more hope to and regain the trust of the people.

Gonzales said that the government efforts on advance grassroots development as a key to address insurgency has continued despite the challenges faced by the country this year such as the COVID-19 pandemic and natural calamities.

Insurgency has long been tagged as among the biggest threat to peace and development in various regions and in the country and that President Rodrigo Duterte has institutionalized a whole-of-nation approach on ending local communist armed conflict through Executive Order 70.

Gonzales said the Dagyawan convergence meeting was necessary to identify plans and strategies that would address the problems and concerns in the localities that are impeding growth and development.

“Our progress as a region should be unidirectional and complementary. We will direct government programs that are essential for peace and development in this part of the region,” he noted.