By Priam Nepomuceno/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that seeks to enhance the cooperation of the two agencies, especially in peace-building programs and ending the threat posed by the conflict with the communists.
Military public affairs office chief, Col. Noel Detoyato, said AFP Chief-of-Staff, Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, signed the MOU together with Social Welfare Secretary Joselito Bautista at the General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
“The MOU complements efforts to institutionalize Executive Order (EO) No. 70 that adopts the Whole-of-Nation approach, directing all government agencies to collaborate in ending the communist armed conflict,” Madrigal said in a statement Friday.
It also formalizes an ongoing partnership in the effective and efficient delivery of social services to the public, especially those that are affected by calamities and conflict and are vulnerable to radicalization.
EO 70, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in December last year, mandates the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and directs all government agencies to render all the necessary support to peace-building programs, plans, and activities for the campaign.
During his assumption as AFP chief, Madrigal committed the AFP’s support to the task force, stressing the need for government agencies to come together to eradicate the root causes of conflict and violence.
“We have made significant progress and have made headways in our campaign to end insurgency. But to reach what we can call a complete victory, we need to create communities that are conflict-resilient and we need local and national government agencies to attain this,” he added.
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