DAVAO DEL NORTE, July 2 (PIA) – The Province of Davao del Norte has taken one step closer towards ending the local communist armed conflict as over 1000 NPA rebels surrendered during the first year in office of Governor Edwin I. Jubahib.

This was reported by the governor himself during his State of the Province Address (SOPA) yesterday.

“Kapin 1,000 usab ka mga kanhing sakop sa NPA ang mi surrender sa atong unang tuig sa pag serbisyo (Over 1,000 members of the NPA surrendered during our first year in service),” Jubahib stated.

In addition, through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) financial assistance, worth P5.7 million have been given to 427 of the former rebels to help them start a new life.

As for the rest of the former rebels, the governor noted that under Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP), their financial assistance is being processed.

The province of Davao del Norte housed the operation center Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) on November 15, 2019 as Governor Jubahib offered space in the provincial complex for it, in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign to end insurgency.

Furthermore, the discovery and liberation from the NPA of Sitio Tapayanon in Kapalong, a place that has not received help from the government in “113 years” is among the many accomplishments achieved by the administration reported in the SOPA.

Also reported were the defenses made against the current COVID19 pandemic, where isolation rooms and isolation facilities in all LGUs were set up to house the OFWs, LSIs and other returning residents who may have been exposed to the virus.

As well, the efforts made towards saving the residents from hunger amidst COVID19 through food pack distributions, and food sufficiency programs like KAAGAPAY.

Added support to Executive Order No. 70 of President Rodrigo Duterte to end local communist armed conflict (ELCAC), Governor Jubahib implemented more than 149 infrastructure projects amounting to P468,175,482.

Report from the Provincial Information Communication and Knowledge Management Office (PICKMO) said that such projects benefitted indigenous people (IP) communities particularly the opening of new roads leading to far-flung villages.

In line with improving the socio-economic conditions of IP returnees, the provincial government has started building National Housing Authority (NHA) 300 houses for IPs in Sitio Nasilaban and Sitio Mesolong of Brgy Sto Nino in the municipality of Talaingod; and in Sitio Gatong, Barangay Palma Gil also of Talaingod. (Jan Vincent Leuterio, PIA-XI)