As the region strives to maintain the momentum in the fight against insurgency, DILG Caraga has been steadfastly organizing activities that empower the LGUs and its partner agencies amid the health crisis. With Communist Terrorist Groups taking advantage of the crisis, the RTF-ELCAC has been on constant high alert and has been actively engaging all concerned stakeholders to sustain all of its efforts.

Capacitating Urban Communities for Peace and Development (CUCPD) is a platform for convergence and collaboration among all stakeholders in the local level in championing the drive of improving institutional capacity of LGUs to undertake peacebuilding programs that are development-oriented and context-sensitive to solve the prevailing and emerging issues of the various sectors of society, namely: (1) youth and student; (2) labor; (3) transport; (4) urban poor; and (5) women.

While the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) in the region was taking strides in 2020, so was CUCPD. In a short span of time, the lone highly urbanized city of Butuan, supported by DILG Caraga, made headway in the implementation of CUCPD to ensure that the urban communities are just as empowered as the rural barangays in terms of combatting insurgency. As a result, Butuan was one of the first cities in the country to implement the program.

CHAMPIONING HUMAN RIGHTS

The first CUCPD activity aimed to orient the 5 sectors on the salient features of The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (RA 11479) and the basic concepts of violent extremism and of their fundamental human rights and how the CTGs are abusing them. Discussions on preventing and countering violent extremism, knowing the enemy, and precursors of positive peace were also undertaken. A platform was opened for the participants to ask questions and share their experiences with conflict.

BUILDING RESILIENCE

The second CUCPD activity aimed to orient the sectors on financial literacy by helping them responsibly manage their finances earned from livelihood and employment and assistance received from government amelioration programs. Likewise, they were provided knowledge on adlay rice which is an alternative to rice and is six-times more nutritious and also on soybean which is largely produced in Surigao del Sur. This will help the region avoid supply shortage as it continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic.

PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT EXPO

The CUCPD culminating activity gave a platform to sectors to voice out their responses to the activities conducted through the CUCPD which will help the RTF-ELCAC assess the effectiveness of its efforts and in identifying future interventions for the urban communities. This activity also served as an instrument to bring together representatives from the five identified sectors and convene various frontline service delivery agencies such as LTO, NHA, DA, TESDA, DepEd, DTI, DOST, DSWD, CHED among others, in a one-stop shop that offers assistance to the people. Lorena Delos Angeles, president of the Dynamic Women's Association of Ambago, a local women's group in Butuan City, expressed her gratitude for having been given the opportunity to join the series of CUCPD activities. She said that the activity helped her learn about insurgency and its effects in society and nation-building. "At first, I didn't know what EO 70 was about, let alone the program so I was a bit hesitant to participate but still went along. Now that I know what insurgency is all about and what we, from the women's sector, can do to prevent it from happening in our area." The organization leader disclosed that they will craft programs that will promote peace and development.

Source : DILG Regional Office - Region XIII