ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has partnered with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) in an effort to empower communities through the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Peaceful and Resilient Communities) or PAMANA program.

OPAPP Undersecretary Luisito Montalbo said PAMANA is the government’sflagship program for peace and development aimed at promoting the community resilience by reducing poverty and vulnerability, improving governance, and strengthening capacities of communities to address peace and development issues through relevant activities that promote social cohesion.

While DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero said “we (DILG) may not be experts on the peace process but we certainly know our way in dealing with the local government units (LGUs) and promoting good governance.”

Montalbo, on the other hand, said that the DILG would providepolicy directions related to governance and security in conflictaffected areas.

There were also initial discussions on linking DILG’s Seal of Good Housekeeping with the PAMANA program.

It was learned that the Seal of Good Housekeeping is given to LGUs that excel in governance.

It is necessary for the municipalities to receive resources under the performance challenge fund (PCF) program led by the DILG, Montalbo said.

Montalbo also updated DILG regional and provincial directors from PAMANA targeted areas on the developments on the ongoing peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), as well as the revisiting of the peace agreements with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Other PAMANA partner institutions include the Department of Justice (DoJ), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), among others.