News Release

OPAPP conducts consultation and planning on PAMANA in Sorsogon

By: Irma A. Guhit

Sorsogon City, (PIA) – Anchored on the acronym “PAMANA” (Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan), the P-Noy administration, through the Office of the Presidential Advisory on the Peace Process (OPAPP), during the one-day Sorsogon Consultation and Planning on PAMANA, here, February 3, 2011 has presented its legacy for peace, that of building “Peaceful and Resilient Communities”.

“Our coming here is to sincerely bring the P-Noy administration by seeking to address the root causes of armed conflict, identified as insurgency. The Philippines is one of the top 5 countries with the longest running recorded conflict in the world. The four others are Myanmar, India, Euthopia and the United Kingdom,” USec Luisito G. Montalbo of OPAPP, explained to the participants during the opening program.

“The Aquino administration would like to find out how we can collectively address this problem which is now close to a century before his term ends as a legacy to our people,” USec Montalbo said.

“On the side of the government and through OPAPP, we have negotiated political settlement through peace talks and resumption of peace negotiation,” he further explained.

Two presentations were provided to the participants focusing on Local Poverty Situation given by Mr. Dominador Jardin of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) and the Local Peace and Security Situation provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The presentation showed Sorsogon as a province with a lingering record of armed conflict that dates back from 1971.

Three tools were presented to identify related issues surrounding the problem of armed insurgency and guide the participants in making group decisions about priorities for addressing conflict issues for the Conflict Analysis Workshop.

The participants were divided in three groups, each group using the Three Pillars, the PAMANA Framework and Operational Guidelines for the workshop.

The first tool used by the group I was a graphic presentation named “The Conflict Tree”. Meta cards were provided to write single idea to find out if this is a root or the fruit of the conflict.

The second tool used by group II was the Force Field Analysis. It identified the different forces, groups or entities influencing a conflict. It also clarified the existing different groups if these are working towards or against the resolution of the conflict or is contributory to the persistence and even the escalation of the conflict.

And the third tool by the group III was the Conflict Pillars. It showed the graphic illustration of elements, factors, situations or issues that are holding up, maintaining and/or supporting the persistence of the conflict.

The Conflict Analysis Workshop through each group presentation  were one in their analysis that the root cause of insurgency is dissent or dissatisfaction  in the delivery of the social basic services, implementation of economic policies social injustice  and corruption . The other identified issues where either the effects of the root cause.

One revealing reasons thou was that  Sorsogon is strategically located for the insurgents activity, this being a very strategic entry point to several areas going to Masbate, Catanduanes and even to the Quezon province.

Two groups were also formed to provide strategic action steps to come up with a plan on how to come up with possible solutions based on the root causes of insurgency in the province.

To address insurgency a need to  provide more venues for continued negotiations and peace talk was  recommended and that  government should also look at the family of rebels as a different form of indigency – that of having dysfunctional families. Through OPAPP, another form of the 4Ps may be adapted to focus on the needs of the family of the rebels as government’s intervention to start an initiative for peace. (PIA Sorsogon)