The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Monday said it would ramp up socio-economic interventions in the province of Occidental Mindoro as more towns have been freed from communist influence or placed under “Stable Internal Peace and Security” (SIPS) status.

The Occidental Mindoro Police Provincial Office reported that seven out of the province’s 15 towns have officially been declared insurgency-free during an orientation on localized peace engagements and transformation programs on March 28, the peace body said in a news release.

With this development, these municipalities are primed for government-led socio-economic intervention programs, including OPAPRU’s “Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan” (PAMANA) Program.

Launched in 2011, PAMANA is the national government’s flagship convergence program, focusing on peace-building, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development of Peace and Development Focus Areas across the country.

OPAPRU Presidential Assistant on Local Conflict Transformation Wilben Mayor, who led the orientation on local peace engagements and its transformation program, emphasized that clearing the towns of communist insurgents marks a major milestone for the province.

He said the province is now eligible for road projects that will further drive progress and connectivity in the area, noting that there are no more insurgents who would hinder these through acts of sabotage.

“We will provide projects in this province sa abot ng aming makakaya (as much as we can), now that we have seen an insurgency-free status in many municipalities. Again, under the Bagong Pilipinas, no one will be left behind. Sisiguraduhin natin na sa tamang lugar at tamang community mapupunta ang mga proyekto ng gobyerno katulad ng PAMANA (we will see to it that these development projects are put in the right places and communities just like what PAMANA is doing),” Mayor said.

The OPAPRU earlier said that PAMANA has allocated over PHP90 million worth of road projects for the towns of Sablayan and Calintaan in Occidental Mindoro and PHP100 million for the municipality of Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro. (PNA)