DAVAO CITY — The vast Camp Abubakar, the then-training camp for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will soon be transformed into a show window of peace and development.
The 300-hectare camp was once an area of conflict and unrest.
The recent launching and signing of the Master Development Plan for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) Camp Abubakar on Tuesday, January 23, at the 1st Marine Brigade headquarters in Brgy. Tugaig, Barira, Maguindanao del Norte, marked another major milestone in the Bangsamoro peace process.
The event was spearheaded by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) through the Joint Task Forces on Camps Transformation (JTFCT) and its PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) Program.
The Master Development Plan, a product of the collaborative effort between key national government agencies and BARMM ministries, local government units, and community members, is a comprehensive blueprint to transform Camp Abubakar into a peaceful, progressive, and resilient community.
the sprawling camp located in the heart of Central Mindanao is expected to undergo a remarkable transformation and become a beacon of hope, progress, and prosperity for the entire region, the OPAPRU in a statement emphasized..
“The Master Development Plan is anchored and inspired by the Camps Transformation Plan formulated by the JTFCT in 2021. Ito ay isang konkretong hakbang upang unti-unting isakatuparan ang pinag-isang aspirasyon ng GPH at MILF na baguhin ang mukha ng kampo mula sa gulo at pagiging armado patungong kapayapaan at kaunlaran,” said Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. of the OPAPRU during the launching ceremony.
A community worth emulating
With its rich cultural heritage and strategic location, Camp Abubakar is poised to become a hub of socioeconomic activities. The Master Development Plan not only seeks to boost business activities in the camp, but also envisions its transformation into a sustainable development model for other communities within and outside the Bangsamoro region to emulate.
The development of Camp Abubakar, “Is from and for the residents of the camp. “It is a blueprint that targets the socioeconomic deficiencies in the camp by providing housing solutions for the MILF decommissioned combatants, as well as a platform for other national government agencies and BARMM ministries to bring in programs and change,” Galvez said.
The area is envisioned to become a monument of change and will signify the normalization of the life of the MILF members.
The Master Development, which was drafted by the National Housing Authority (NHA), envisions the camp’s development in the next 20 years. It features initial 234 housing units for FY 2024.
The 134 housing units will be sourced from the funds of PAMANA while the 100 housing units will be shouldered by the Bangsamoro government.
Part of the camp transformation includes access roads, telecommunication access, potable water access, agricultural plantation areas, institutional and religious buildings, health facilities, and mercantile areas, among others.
Galvez in an interview revealed, that in “PAMANA 2024 Barira alone has Php130 million,” which includes 134 housing projects amounting to Php 90 million, a water system in Brgy. Tugaig worth Php 50 million, a water system in Balawag for Php 50 million, a 15-meter bridge, as well as a road concreting project in Buldon worth Php 25 million.
The collaboration between different government entities, such as National Housing Authority (NHA), PAMANA, Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE), and Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD), together with other stakeholders, is a significant step in realizing the national government’s “whole-of-nation” approach in the region.
Consequently, the plan highlights the National and BARMM government’s unified effort to push forward the Bangsamoro peace process by transforming the camps into show windows of peace and development.
Shared responsibility in sustaining peace
The national and Bangsamoro governments emphasized that their collaborative efforts with line agencies and local government units seek to ensure the successful implementation of proposed initiatives under the Master Plan.
The camp’s transformation will be established in partnership with the Joint Task Forces on Camps Transformation and PAMANA.
The PAMANA Program is anchored on the Government’s strategy of winning the peace by forging strategic partnerships in promoting convergent delivery of goods and services, and addressing regional development challenges in conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable areas, the press statement added.
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