NORTH COTABATO – Surrounded by wide swathes of cornfields, three interior villages in Midsayap town here are gearing for brighter economic prospects as the dividends of peace reached them through the government’s PAMANA (Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan or Peaceful and Resilient Communities) program.
“Alagaan po natin ang mga proyektong ito na tanda sa patuloy na pagrespeto ng gobyerno sa 1996 Final Peace Agreement (Let us take care of these projects, which are proofs that the government continues to respect the 1996 Final Peace Agreement),” Ustadz Dadting Eman said.
Eman, chairman of the North East Kutawato State Revolutionary Committee of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), portrayed the picture of a “fulfilled” leader as he inspects the agriculture-related projects in the area under PAMANA, which were turned over last year.
“These projects are my legacy to you,” said Eman, a known follower of MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari.
Eman noted that thousands of community members from the three barangays will benefit from the PAMANA projects.
These projects were implemented in areas with the presence of the MNLF, which signed a final peace deal with the government on September 2, 1996, but they will also benefit members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) living harmoniously alongside the former.
The projects include a solar drier in Barangay Olandang; four corn shellers, four hand tractors with trailers, a solar drier and a building with a mini-corn mill equipment in Barangay Nabalawag; and a warehouse, a solar drier, one hand tractor with trailer and a building with a mini-corn mill equipment in Barangay Kadingilan.
The projects were implemented by the provincial government of North Cotabato, headed by Gov. Emmylou Mendoza.
Mendoza’s deputy governor for Muslim affairs, Edris Gandalibo, said the government is trying its best to address the needs of conflict-affected areas by providing projects that would foster peace and development.
“Without peace, it would be hard for development projects to come in, so let us continue to nurture the peace in our communities,” Gandalibo said.
Peng Lakiman, Barangay Kadingilan chairperson, echoed the sentiments of Gandalibo, saying that development projects failed to reach them before because of the armed conflict that was brought not only by the Moro rebellion against the government but also by rido (clan war).
“But because there is better peace now, development projects are coming in to our area,” said Lakiman, a former commander of the MILF’s 16th Brigade under the 105th Base Command.
Lakiman thanked the provincial government and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) for the projects in his village, which is about nine kilometers from the town proper.
“Our farmers here will no longer go to the town proper to have their corn milled. It’s a big factor in reducing the transportation cost that would translate to savings, hence bigger income to them,” Lakiman said.
A two-term village chairman, he vowed to lead the way in taking good care of the projects that were turned over to them for their sustainability.
Lakiman, who went back to the folds of the law in 2009 for the sake of his family, also expressed support to the peace process of the GPH and the MILF, which is now nearing completion.
“The problem in Mindanao will not be solved by the barrel of guns but only through sincere dialogue,” said Lakiman, known back then as “Kumander Samurai.”
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