PATIN-AY, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, Philippines – The government livelihood and infrastructure projects continuously benefited the far-flung communities in the landlocked province of Agusan del Sur.

The villagers, mostly highland people, benefited from various livelihood projects such as agriculture production, handicraft, rehabilitation and construction of bridges, water system, and farm-to-market (FMR) roads.

Other livelihood projects lined up for implementation include abaca production with some P1,271,587 worth of allocation, rubber production with P599,500 allocation, cacao production - P2.5 million, rubber-based farming system (rubber plus banana) – P1.7 million, rubber-based farming system (rubber plus banana plus fruit trees) – P2.3 million, and handicraft production with an allocation of P500,000.

While infrastructure projects include the P2 million rehabilitation of the Andanan Bailey Bridge, P378,913 for the water supply system; P2.2 million for the rehabilitation of the Tagubay-Mahayag road section, P2.25 million for the rehabilitation of the JCT, Sta. Irene, and La Purisima roads in Bayugan City, and P2.25 million for the rehabilitation of the Bitan-agan and Lucac roads in San Francisco, all in Agusan del Sur.

Agusan del Sur Governor Adolph Edward G. Plaza said the provincial government has focused its priority projects this year in support of President Aquino’s efforts in conflict-affected areas.

Regional government records showed that out of 956 conflict-affected areas in the Caraga Region, 208 are in Agusan del Sur, which has 318 barangays (villages) in 13 towns and lone city.

A total of 30 villages in the towns of San Francisco, Prosperidad, and Sibagat, and in Bayugan City have been identified as recipients of livelihood and infrastructure projects under the government’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program.

PAMANA is the government’s peace and development program and framework that seeks to reduce poverty, improve governance, and empower communities through community-driven projects that will address people’s needs while promoting peace.

Spearheaded by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), other partners in the implementation of the PAMANA include the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

“Our main target this year and beyond is to increase the household monthly income of P6,500 by initiating viable livelihood projects in the areas,” stressed Plaza.

The provincial chief executive pointed out that the provincial government is also working to iron out differences in “multiple tenurial instruments” within the ancestral lands.

Meanwhile, the two-day orientation-workshop on the PAMANA program for civil society peace advocates recently culminated in the Southern Mindanao city of Davao, with upbeat and grateful responses from key local officials in attendance.

Sarangani Governor Rene Miguel Dominguez expressed his appreciation and gratitude to President Aquino and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles for their all-out support for winning peace in Mindanao.

“We are all looking forward to this PAMANA program,” he said.

“It’s time we give more focus to our communities and invest in our people,” he said while addressing the participants and guests of the workshop, which aimed to boost the engagement of civil society groups in monitoring the implementation of the program in peace and development communities (PDCs) that were established after the signing of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).