MORE NEWS, ABRA

Peace efforts gaining ground in violence-rocked Abra towns
By Dexter A. See

BANGUED, Abra — The decades-long drive for economic prosperity in this conflict-rocked province is now gaining headway with the efforts of local officials and policemen to maintain peace and order in 303 barangays.

This was reported by Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin who said the support that the provincial government is getting from national government agencies is now bearing fruit.

He said the people of Abra are beginning to feel the benefits of an improved peace and order condition.

He cited the importance of peace and order in economic development, saying prospective investors will not hesitate to pour in money on potential business opportunities in the province if they are assured of their safety and security.

In the past two decades, Abra has gained the unsavory reputation as the "killing fields of the North" due to the unabated violence which had claimed the lives of many people, including politicians.

Bersamin urged the Cordillera Regional Development Council and the Regional Peace and order Council to give Abra special attention so that the problems of poverty-stricken communities would be addressed.

The potential investment opportunities in the province include mining, tobacco growing, agriculture, hydropower, and livestock raising.

Ironically, the National Statistics Coordination Board listed Abra as one of the poorest provinces in the country with a poverty incidence of over 50 percent.

However, Bersamin said that the inclusion of his province in the list of the less fortunate provinces in the country could serve as a challenge for the provincial government, RDC, and RPOC to step up development efforts.

Juan Ngalob, director of the National Economic Development Authority in the Cordillera and interim chairman of RDC, believes that Abra deserves support from the national government, and that the RDC is working hard to help in the realization of development thrusts for the province.

On peace and order, Chief Supt. Eugene G. Martin, director of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera and acting chairman of the RPOC, said political violence in Abra has significantly declined since the May 14, 2007 elections, but crimes caused by personal conflicts are still prevalent, although manageable.

He also said that the nine private armed groups which had been operating in the province for the past two decades had voluntarily disbanded and are no longer considered as serious threat to peace and order in the province.

Despite sightings of New People’s Army rebels in remote areas of the province, Martin said the communist movement is no longer a threat because the rebels were not involved in violent activities and because that the NPA has already lost support from the people.