(The Provincial Government of Northern Samar Facebook)
TACLOBAN CITY – Seventy-seven associations of former rebels across Samar Island received a total of P23.1 million in livelihood assistance from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) to help them build sustainable sources of income and strengthen the government’s peacebuilding efforts.
The assistance was released on July 31 through the Pamana Peace and Development–Buong Bansa Mapayapa (PDBBM) Program during a ceremony at the Northern Samar Provincial Capitol in Catarman.
The program is implemented in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and local government units.
Each of the 77 associations received P300,000 in seed capital to establish community-based livelihood enterprises. The beneficiaries are composed of former rebels who have completed the government’s reintegration program and are now pursuing peaceful and productive livelihoods.
Of the total beneficiaries, 40 associations are from Northern Samar, 29 from Samar, and eight from Eastern Samar.
The recipient groups also received certificates of accreditation, authorizing them to implement their respective livelihood projects under the Pamana program.
Officials from OPAPRU, DSWD, the AFP, and local governments led the distribution, describing the assistance as part of the government’s continuing efforts to promote lasting peace, economic empowerment, and inclusive development in Eastern Visayas.
To date, the Pamana Livelihood Program has organized 134 peacebuilder associations out of its target of 141 people’s organizations across the region.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
