Cotabato City—The Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur has created a technical working group (TWG) to help review and improve on local security policies “as tools to fight extremists ideology and maintain peace and order in the province.”
Vice Governor Bombit Adiong Jr. said Lanao del Sur “has been a target of series of organized violent extremism campaign by local extremist groups whose ideology has been actively advocated to many phases of the community.”
Jennie Alonto Tamano, head of the provincial information office, said the formation of the TWG has been launched in Cagayan de Oro late last week in partnership with the Institute of Autonomy and Governance (IAG), a policy think-tank.
The project, dubbed “Preventing Violent Extremism (CTVE)” is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Australian Government for the development of preventive security mechanism by involving both the local government and the people to help quell extremism at its fledgling roots level.
Local leaders have admitted having been literally caught flat-footed by the offensives on Butig, Piagapo, and Marawi City launched by the Isis-inspired Maute band of extremists.
Tamano said the TWG builds a policy-level partnership on the prevention of violent extremism with the support of the Australian Government. The TWG has been created by the Provincial Board, while the Executive administration operationalizes it through and Executive Order:
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan under Vice-Governor Adiong Jr., has passed a resolution creating and also affirming the partnership on the review and formulation of local security policies at community level.
On the other hand, the Office of Provincial Governor Soraya Bejoria Alonto-Adiong has issued an Executive Order operationalizing the TWG providing for the local counterpart resources.
In some parallel efforts at building peace, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is also supporting Peace Journalism training program through the Center for the Studies of Peace and Conflict at University of Sydney. Among Mindanao journalists who benefitted from the program were: Malu Cadelna Manar (NDBC), Edwin Fernandez (NDBC Inquirer), the late Bong Reblando (Manila Bulletin), Jeoffrey Maitem (Inquirer) Ali Macabalang (Manila Bulletin, and this news correspondent (then of the Inquirer).
“Recent unwarranted events such as the attacks in Butig, Piagapo, and Marawi City have resulted to massive displacement, disrupted governance and economy to which the people of Lanao del Sur has surely became the victims,” the Provincial Board Resolution said in part.