LUPON, DAVAO ORIENTAL – In a bid to end the decades-long local Communist armed conflict here, the provincial government recently launched its innovative anti-insurgency campaign in Sitio Banhawan, Barangay Marayag in the Municipality of Lupon, one of the province’s top ten priority barangays for peace and development projects.
Dubbed as “Oplan Marayag”, the initiative, which is anchored to the national government’s Whole-of-Nation Approach to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) through the President’s Executive Order 70, formally marks the start of the implementation of the series of long-term interventions that the government is set to pour into the village.
Governor Nelson Dayanghirang, who led the official launch, said that the program is an expression of the government’s sincerity to make the province more peaceful and more developed. “Insurgency only halts our province’s economic development,” he said, citing that the province’s potentials on tourism and investments are dangerously at risk amidst the threats of unrest and violence perpetrated by the Communist-Terrorist group New People’s Army (NPA).
He urged the residents of Barangay Marayag – which was once a hotbed of the armed conflict and once a beehive of NPA mass supporters, to unite and to work together with the government for meaningful programs.
Governor Dayanghirang said that Barangay Marayag has an immense potential to become a major supplier of vegetables and livestock as it is an agricultural area that is strategically located near the City of Mati whose demand for the supply of vegetables and livestock remains vast amidst the booming tourism despite the COVID-19 pandemic. “Davao Oriental is a tourist destination and it needs enough supply of food to feed tourists. However, no visitors would come to us if our province is not peaceful,” said the Governor.
“I hope that you take advantage of this opportunity. All these developments can easily be achieved if you help the government by withdrawing support from the NPA and convince those whom you know are still involved in the movement to surrender to the government. Many opportunities await them,” said Governor Dayanghirang.
Interventions
As part of the immediate interventions, government offices and agencies offered services and distributed goods to the residents. The Provincial Agriculture Office distributed seedlings, vegetable seeds, and other farm inputs for the farmers. The Provincial Veterinarian’s Office, on the other hand, distributed live native chicken to selected livestock raisers. Both offices, prior to the program launch already conducted orientation and trainings to local farmers.
