The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process has allocated P200 million for the PAMANA (Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan) program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, that provides livelihood support to former armed group- Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (Tabara-Paduano Group), among other rebel groups.

Under the DENR-OPAPP Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2013-02, both agencies have agreed to provide livelihood support to former combatants by creating viable partnerships through the National Greening Program and forestry-related activities.

Under the program, 100 forest guards will be hired in Region 6, and 615 others are distributed in Region 7 – 18; Region 10- 10 and 587 at the Cordillera Autonomous Region, the DENR said in a statement it issued.

The fund support includes land acquisition for peace and development community sites, site development, such as the provision of water system, access road network and market facilities, among others.

The DENR facilitates the hiring and employment of forest guards, and enrolls them in the NGP by allocating planting sites as part of the major commitment of the DENR for the peace process, for the past three year.

The peace and development community sites identified in Negros Occidental are located in cities of Kabankalan, San Carlos and Cadiz, with an area of more than 641 hectares.

More than 100 RPA-ABB members have been hired by DENR as forest guards.

A component of the Peace Process-Closure Agreement between the government and the former armed groups, including the RPA-ABB who have returned to the folds of the law, the PAMANA Program is the national government's peace and development framework for empowering conflict-related areas in the country; closing the gaps in development and bringing progress to areas needing the most.

The DENR and OPAPP have agreed to provide livelihood support to former combatants by creating viable partnerships through the implementation of NGP and other forestry-related activities.

This aims to provide them an opportunity to lead and live a normal life above ground and to prove to everyone that, among the causes of this group is to protect forest lands; and, provide a concrete program of reconciliation, peace and development for nation building, DENR regional director Jim Sampulna, said in a statement issued by his office.

The closure agreement between the government and the RPA-ABB has yet to be signed by President Benigno Aquino III, while the peace agreement was signed in Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental, almost 15 years ago.*GPB

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