BANGED, Abra—The government has implemented P770 million worth of Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan or PAMANA projects in the six provinces of the Cordillera region over the past five years.
In a report to the Regional Peace and Order Council in the Cordillera, the regional Department of the Interior and Local Government office reported that 68 projects received the funds coursed through the agency to help alleviate the former conflict-stricken areas.
In 2012, 20 projects were funded worth over P50 million, followed by 12 projects in 2013 (P211.8 million), but no funds were released for similar projects in 2014.
In 2014, the government earmarked P124 million for 12 projects equitably distributed to the six provinces, while 2016 saw 24 projects allocated a funding of P386.5 million for the Pamana projects.
The Pamana projects were described to be mostly opening of road networks — linking various areas that were identified to be conflict-stricken communities in the past — to help provide residents with access to better developed areas in the different parts of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province.
Based on the report, most of the funded projects were completed, while some are either on-going, delayed, or terminated for various reasons not resolved by the concerned implementing agencies and the local government.
The DILG-CAR report was based on the accomplishments of concerned government agencies as of Oct. 31, considering some of the implemented projects were carried over to this year due to delays in the completion of the works programmed for the improvement of access to the countryside.
RPOC-CAR, chaired by Baguio City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan commended the DILG-CAR for its satisfactory performance in running various projects funded under the PAMANA program.
The peace council urged the concerned government agencies to work out the completion of on-going infrastructure projects, while finding the appropriate solutions to funded projects suspended for various reasons and for the immediate re-bidding of projects terminated with due course.
The funds for the PAMANA projects were the initiatives of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) coursed through the DILG in coordination with local governments and the beneficiary communities regionwide.