CPLA head bewails slow pace of KBP projects

HAPPY WEEKEND
Gina Dizon

PARACELIS, Mountain Province - Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army zone commander for Mountain Province Miguel Assud is not happy on the implementation of the Kalayaan Sa Barangay Program (KBP) in this province.

Since Assud participated in the 1996 assessment of the 1986 cessation of hostilities between armed groups with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP), and identification of development programs within conflict areas, the zone commander lamented that consequent projects see slow implementation to date.

Covered within KBP- beneficiary areas for Mountain Province lists four barangays of Anonat, Bunot, Palitod, and Bananao of Paracelis municipality; and Betwagan and Belwang in Sadanga municipality of this province as beneficiary barangays.

Since KBP projects started early this year in identified barangay- beneficiaries in Mountain Province, construction of KBP projects including farm to market roads are slowly still on- going, Assud claimed.

This, because the Engineering Brigade has only one back hoe for implementing FMR projects in the four barangays of Paracelis. Said FMRs in identified barangays of Paracelis still on their construction stage, are wanting of cross drainages and gravelling, he added.

Two school buildings and one health center were earlier built in barangay Anonat. . A bridge and an FMR under KBP projects are also being built in Betwagan, Sadanga.

Assud also said people in identified beneficiary areas have indicated their availability to do manual labor along with just wages for the completion of said infrastructure.

As to the livelihood component of KBP, Assud said rebel- returnee beneficiaries and constituents of barangay-beneficiaries should be consulted on what livelihood programs these are for intended beneficiaries.

KBP projects provide a ceiling of P4.5 million for infra projects and P500,000 for livelihood programs per barangay and implemented by the Engineering Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the National Development Support Command (NDSC).

KBP projects are meant to transform insurgency-infested places into peace and development areas. Basic infrastructure for construction include access roads, water systems, schools buildings, electricity and health facilities.

Memorandum Order 166 mandates the Armed Forces of the Philippines to implement the KBP with the Regional KALAHI Convergence Group and local government units. The said memorandum issued on March 22, 2005 directs the AFP Corps of Engineers to build security and strategic roads.

The KBP covers 500 barangays in 600 conflict-affected barangays in 12 regions in the country, identified by the Department of National Defense (DND) through the AFP in Regions III, IV-A, VI-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, CAR and CARAGA.

There are 71 barangay-beneficiaries of the KBP for the Cordillera region. Earlier, the OPAPP selected 100 peace agreement areas in consultation with members of the CPLA and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletariat Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPM-P/RPA/ABB).