• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan Program (PAMANA) Peace and Development Program of the Department of Social and Welfare and Development, which is implemented in conflict-affected areas of Negros Occidental, has benefitted 10,000 households, through small infrastructure and community enhancement projects.
PAMANA is the national government’s flagship peace and development convergence program designed to uplift isolated, conflict-affected, and vulnerable communities through concrete socio-economic interventions, basic services, infrastructure support, and community empowerment initiatives.
During a Year-End Review of the PAMANA programs implemented in the province, which was held in Talisay City, on December 5, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson lauded the invaluable contributions of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), partner agencies, and peace development officers in the successful implementation of the DSWD’s PAMANA Peace and Development Program.
Lacson said that the active participation of local government units has been instrumental to the province’s peace and development strides.
He noted that the LGUs’ hands-on leadership in project implementation demonstrates that peacebuilding is most effective when local and national governments work together, guided always by the needs and aspirations of the communities they serve.
The DSWD’s PAMANA (Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan) peace and development initiatives for conflict-affected areas, focuses on bringing infrastructure (roads, water, housing) and social services (livelihood training via SLP, cash aid, scholarships) to vulnerable communities, especially indigenous peoples, to foster self-sufficiency, social cohesion, and inclusive growth, moving beyond basic relief to sustainable development.*
