“Maraming salamat po sa gobyerno”.

Nowadays, this appreciation is one of the rarest things that a public servant will receive from his community. However, this appreciation has been received abundantly from a program called RCSP or the Retooled Community Support Program.

The RCSP is one of the umbrella programs under the Executive Order No. 70 that institutionalizes the whole-of-nation approach in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace. The RCSP has been an ideal tool in reaching out farflung communities affected by the communist-armed conflict. With RCSP, government services and needs have been readily accessible to the community through the hand-in-hand support of different government institutions.

In Region IV-A CALABARZON, 61 conflict-affected barangays have been given assistance since 2020. The coordination between different line agencies, through the Regional Task Force Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC), has shown success in the implementation of projects and programs to the barangays.

Evidently, DILG Region IV-A, headed by Regional Director Ariel O. Iglesia, has shown full support to the RCSP mandate despite the looming threat of COVID-19 in the region. Nevertheless, DILG IV-A has stayed committed to delivering assistance to the barangays with the help of its DILG provincial directors. In Batangas, Provincial Director Abigail N. Andres has led the implementation of RCSP in the municipalities of Balayan, Calaca, Calatagan, Lian, Lobo, Nasugbu, San Juan, and Tuy. In the same manner, Quezon Provincial Director Darrell I. Dizon has spearheaded the municipalities of Atimonan, Catanauan, General Luna, General Nakar, Infanta, Lopez, Macalelon, Mauban, Mulanay, San Francisco, San Narciso, and Tagkawayan. Meanwhile, in Rizal, Provincial Director Allan V. Benitez has steered the implementation in Rodriguez, San Mateo, and Tanay

One of the activities under RCSP is the Serbisyo Caravan. This activity has been the most remarkable contribution of the RCSP to the conflict-affected barangays, wherein the high attendance rate of regional line agencies was prevalent in all the Serbisyo Caravan operations in the region. Additionally, these agencies have also brought in essential goods and services to such as food packs, seedlings, legal counselling, job fairs, and the likes. Truly, the Serbisyo Caravan illustrates the Filipino spirit of ‘bayanihan’ between the government and the community, and therefore receives a warm welcome from the community.

With the amazing feedback of Local Chief Executives to the RCSP throughout the region, it can be notably proclaimed that additional five (5) barangays from the municipalities of Lopez and Macalelon in Quezon Province were requested to be subdued to RCSP. With the continuous support of the RTF-ELCAC, these requests bore into fruition.

Bearing with these accomplishments, DILG IV-A will stay true to serve the CALABARZON community in achieving sustainable peace and development.

Source : DILG Regional Office - Region IV-A