Taking into account the fact that no major tactical offensive has been launched by its insurgents for two years now, the Provincial Government of Negros Oriental found it fitting to declare the province “Conflict Manageable and Development Ready” Wednesday. Considered a great, momentous and historical event by Negrenses, everyone acknowledged that finally, the Bayanihan spirit has created an environment conducive to the province's economic development gearing towards a just and lasting peace. It has been noted by the Philippine Army that NegOr's insurgency level has significantly dwindled in the past years and its insurgents severely reduced and weakened in terms of manpower, firearms, affected barangays and activities and this is seen as a strong indication that they can no longer threaten the province's stability. The “peace-full” affair was led by NegOr Gov. Roel Degamo and Vice-Gov. Mark Macias where a video presentation of the province's Internal Peace and Security Operations (IPSO) was shown to the guests followed by the reading of the Joint Declaration which was consequently signed, together with a Joint Letter Directive, by Gov. Degamo, NegOr League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Pres. Bentham dela Cruz, Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO) Visayas Dir. PCSupt Catalino Rodriguez, PRO-7 Regional Director PCSupt Danilo Constantino, 3ID Philippine Army (PA) Commander MGen Aurelio Baladad, CenCom Commander MGen John Bonafos and Bohol Gov. Edgar M. Chatto.

PA 302nd Infantry Commander Bgen Francisco Patrimonio, Army Commander MGen Hernando Irriberri, DILG OIC-Provincial Director Farah Gentuya and Bantay Bayanihan's Marietta Jambora also graced the event. Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin, Guest of Honor and Speaker, who, after the formal program, gave a press conference, warmly praised the coordinated and concerted efforts among the LGUs, the AFP, PNP, the Civil Society Organizations and all peace-loving individuals and organizations and called it “a historic occasion aptly manifested by the unity of goal and direction by both our civil and military authorities to address insurgency in this province and in the whole Region 7.” The unity of goal exhibited by everyone, he said, got the attention of the national government so much so that the province would get full support from it in guarding its newly-achieved glory and peacefulness and encouraged everyone to continue fighting insurgency through peaceful means. Gov. Degamo on the other hand said that this is a welcome development in his administration and that with its current status, the province is now open to more economic and business opportunities, bringing more benefits to the people. He cited the combined efforts of law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders in bringing their services to the hinterlands which has been instrumental in making the people put their trust once more in the government.

Meanwhile, the Province of Bohol, now widely-known in peace-keeping circles because of its brainchild, the Countryside Development Program Purok Power Movement (CDP-PPM), which is widely embraced by the AFP due to its tested-and-proven approach/effect in bringing rebels back to the folds of the law, had earlier received a letter of invitation. Eager to know and hear how the Province of Bohol achieved its current status of being insurgency-free, and bent on achieving a similar state of affairs, NegOr Gov. Roel Degamo, in said letter addressed to Gov. Chatto, asked the latter to speak about “The Bohol Experience” and to share with them the Boholanos' struggles, and the whats and hows that led to Bohol's acclaimed position. Heeding the request, Chatto humbly explained that Winning the Peace (instead of Winning the War) is the essence of the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan, where he expounded that according to United Nations organizations, mainstreaming peace-building can be pursued in the traditional areas of development cooperation such as education, health and land management. He said that fostering peace and development in conflict-affected regions requires citizen-oriented governance working in partnership with an active civil society; that Integrated Territorial Security System (ITSS) work can only succeed under an environment where the people participate and operate with the peace-makers of government. Chatto added that slow progress toward both peace and sustainable development is due in part to conflicting and uncoordinated approaches among diverse stakeholders; that even within the government, cooperation and coordination is critical in the delivery of basic services to the people.

Furthermore, the “Whole-of-the-Nation Approach” of IPSP Bayanihan is also the “Convergence Approach” being adopted by the national government and International Aid Organizations such as the USAid in its delivery of socio-economic projects in Bohol, which is also one of the strategies of the CDP-PPM, Chatto continued. This same approach can be synonymous with many terms like convergence, multi-stakeholder, multi-pronged, or multi—level; while the other critical approach development is “people-centered approach” which is, in essence, means “empowering people” that which gives substance to “inclusive growth” in national economic development. “Countryside development is the key to achieve ‘inclusive growth' because it is centered on the people and empowers them,” Gov. Chatto pointed out strongly. Other programs being used and implemented in areas declared like this are the participation of peace-keeping forces like the PNP and the mobilization of their Barangay Peace-Keeping Actions Teams (BPATS) and Barangay Intelligence Network (BIN), massive and regular conduct of CARHRIHL info campaign or the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, Chatto said. “Government must work with the empowered people, business sector, civil society, as well as our NGOs and with the different segments of our community. What is essential is the presence of our law enforcers for they are with us all along in this journey, providing us a feeling of strength and security,” Chatto added. Gov. Chatto firmly believes that with this declaration, NegOr is on its way to achieving true peace and development. Gov. Degamo gaily acknowledged this and energetically gave his word that “we will continue to be aggressive in bringing the services to the hinterlands.”

Part of NegOr's monthly medical mission is being conducted in far-flung areas in the province where Degamo said he wants health services delivered to the doorstep of the people, which also aptly provides the venue for the Provincial Government to hear from its constituents what services they would prefer, one of the reasons that convinced rebels to go back to the folds of the law. This very same strategy is quite similar to Bohol's HEAT IT Caravan which encompasses the province's overarching development framework in its delivery of basic services right into the people's very own doorstep. Being now development-ready, Gov. Degamo is expecting an increase in business and economic activity where investors will be attracted to pour their resources which will boost the province's economy. Cash assistance for thirty rebel returnees and cash incentives for Guns for Peace were awarded during the ceremony. Negros Oriental is marked as the 5th “Manageable Conflict and Development Ready” province here in the Visayas; where out of its 16 provinces, six are insurgency-free and five provinces are manageable conflict and development ready. Currently gloriously basking in its current status, “Negros Oriental should now strive to be an insurgency-free province,” thus challenged Gov. Chatto of Bohol. (jlv/EDCom)