DAVAO CITY – The Davao City government will soon launch Peace 911, a transformation of the local peace body that Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio created last year to initiate negotiations with the New People’s Army (NPA).
In a press interview Thursday at the headquarters of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), Duterte-Carpio said she amended her previous executive order creating the Davao City Peace Committee (DC-Peace). The committee will now be called as Peace 911.
Peace 911, the mayor said, is a local body that will oversee the implementation of projects recommended by people in communities known to be NPA-affected.
The infrastructure projects and programs, which will be launched anytime this month, will alleviate poverty. She said the list of the projects will be unveiled during the launching.
The mayor said it is always cited that poverty has pushed people in the communities to join the struggle of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA). Duterte-Carpio said the list of projects for implementation was the result of a series of consultations conducted by the Peace 911 in the communities.
Should the national government resume the peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the mayor said the work of the Peace 911 will not be affected.
She said with or without the GRP-NDFP peace talks, Peace 911 will sustain and continue implementing projects for peace and development in the communities.
It may be recalled that Duterte-Carpio cancelled the localized peace negotiation with the New People’s Army (NPA) following the declaration by President Rodrigo Duterte of the communist rebels as terrorists.
The cancellation was also a consideration of he government’s policy to never negotiate with terrorists. However, the mayor did not dissolve the Davao City Peace committee (DC-PEACE) but retained its membership, this time conduct consultations to gather issues affecting the people in far-flung communities. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
