PR/via Daniel Manalastas – PTV News
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar assured stakeholders in Region X that the Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev) will continue in the long run.
“I am very confident that with the assertiveness and the aggressiveness of the entire team, our fight against poverty problems in Region 10 will be much faster,” Andanar said, who is the Cabinet representative for the Cabinet Officers for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) Region X, following the Regional Development Council (RDC) and Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) joint meeting on Friday.
“And of course, if we solve the problem of poverty, we can easily convince the rebels to reintegrate into our society,” he added.
Secretary commended the strong cooperation among government agencies in rolling out CAPDev.
The CAPDev program aims to promote the establishment of durable peace and development while empowering communities in the priority focus areas through peacebuilding and reconciliation, socio-economic transformation, good governance, and institution building.
The program espouses a focused, coordinated, and sustained delivery of the government’s basic services as well as social development packages in poor, conflict-affected and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in the region.
Before the meeting, CORDS Region X, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the local government unit of Cabanglasan turned over 50 houses to former rebels and other resident beneficiaries in Barangay Iba in Cabanglasa, Bukidnon. The government also conducted a medical program and an information and service caravan in the same barangay.
“Under the Duterte administration, the Duterte leadership, there should be no room for pessimism. We all need to deliver. But our job here as a team is to help one another. I do not believe that municipalities cannot perform effectively,” Andanar said.
“I do not believe that’s what they want. But perhaps they will need more helping hands in the capacity building for us to pull them out of their miseries…There is no problem we can not face in the future,” he added.
The secretary also assured that all provinces of Region 10 will benefit CAPDev.
“I have already spoken to Director Myla as we have plans in going to every province in Region 10. But with the frequency, I can not tell you now since there is a collegial body that will decide,” Andanar said.
