MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, June 4 (PIA) --- More than P2 billion worth of development projects is being implemented by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to help foster peace and reduce poverty in some of the conflict-affected communities in the region through the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) program.
Dong Anayatin, PAMANA-ARMM program manager, said PAMANA is intended to contribute to lasting peace in the region through poverty reduction and the improvement of local governance.
He said PAMANA also promotes social cohesion to capacitate residents in conflict-stricken areas.
The program includes livelihood projects being provided by the region’s Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in at least 386 barangays and construction of roads and infrastructures being undertaken by ARMM’s Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The ARMM government, Anayatin said, is hoping to increase livelihood and job opportunities in the region and intensify community participation in the pursuit of peace and development.
The program was initially handled directly by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) when it was first introduced in the ARMM in 2011.
Last year, the ARMM government officially took over the management of PAMANA projects that are being implemented in the region.
“We regularly conduct focus group discussions with local leaders and the program’s steering committee to assess the needs of recipient communities,” said Anayatin.
PAMANA projects are being implemented in mostly Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) communities.
“We want to address development gaps and bring progress to conflict-affected areas,” he said. (Bureau of Public Infornation/APB/PIA-10)
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