Government strengthens peacebuilding in Talaingod and Kapalong
Davao City, Philippines — The government is set to roll out a Healing and Reconciliation Roadmap for Indigenous Peoples (IP) families in Davao del Norte, a new initiative aimed at deepening peacebuilding and community transformation in the conflict-affected municipalities of Talaingod and Kapalong.
The program, led by Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) for Region XI and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chairperson Secretary Leo Tereso A. Magno, in partnership with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU), seeks to strengthen reconciliation, social healing, and inclusive growth among IP communities affected by decades of armed conflict.
Speaking during the 3rd Quarter Full Council Meeting of the Joint Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (JRTF-ELCAC) Region XI, Sec. Magno described the roadmap as a key component of the government’s broader transformation program for the Davao Region — one that bridges healing with peacebuilding.
“This gathering serves as an important platform to keep track of our collective efforts across clusters and to monitor the continuing implementation of transformation program plans in the provinces of the Davao Region,” Magno said.
He emphasized that the proposed extension of the transformation program until 2028 would be crucial in consolidating peace gains, facilitating the reintegration of former rebels, and sustaining reconciliation within affected communities.
“It is through this regular engagement that we ensure our initiatives remain aligned, responsive, and geared toward the long-term goals of peace, security, and development,” he added.
Strategic Convergence for Peace and Development
OPAPRU Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr., who earlier spoke at the Mindanao Development Forum 2025, underscored the strategic importance of convergence programs in transforming conflict-affected areas. He cited interventions in infrastructure, livelihood support, education, health, and social services as essential to addressing the roots of conflict while unlocking the economic potential of vulnerable communities.
“Empowering conflict-affected and Indigenous communities lies at the heart of our peacebuilding approach,” Galvez noted.
Meanwhile, Oliver Binancilan, OPAPRU Area Management Office Head, highlighted the roadmap’s strategic value, saying it demonstrates the government’s resolve to heal divided communities.
“This roadmap, endorsed at the JRTF meeting, reflects the government’s determination to heal communities and close the gaps that once fueled insurgency. With MinDA’s backing and OPAPRU’s commitment, the path toward reconciliation, peace, and security is now clearer and more attainable,” Binancilan said.
Collaborative Implementation and Local Engagement
Atty. Elisa D. Evangelista-Lapiña, OPAPRU Director for Local Conflict Transformation-Field Implementation Support Unit for Mindanao, stressed the need for inter-agency collaboration to ensure the effective delivery of interventions. She said key activities under the roadmap were shaped through consultations with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Region XI (NCIP-XI) and the provincial local governments.
The roadmap will include psychosocial support, reconciliation rituals, livelihood assistance, and financial aid for affected IP families—measures designed to heal trauma, rebuild trust, and prevent conflict resurgence by addressing underlying causes of division and vulnerability.
Aligned with Marcos Administration’s Peace Agenda
The initiative supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to keep peace and development at the center of governance, emphasizing reconciliation and inclusive growth as essential to sustaining Davao Region’s three-year insurgency-free status.
President Marcos has stressed that healing and reconciliation must go beyond closing past conflicts — extending to the creation of sustainable livelihoods, protection of ancestral domains, and empowerment of IP communities in line with the “Bagong Pilipinas” vision of peace-driven national transformation.
Aligned with the National Peace and Development Agenda, the Healing and Reconciliation Roadmap follows a three-phase approach: preparatory activities, reconciliation sessions, and the delivery of assistance and livelihood support — ensuring that peace dividends are tangibly felt by affected families and communities.
During the JRTF-ELCAC meeting, it was agreed that each province in Region XI will craft its localized Peace and Reconciliation Plan, to be presented in the next council meeting on December 18.
Through the combined efforts of MinDA, OPAPRU, NCIP-XI, and local government partners, the roadmap marks another step forward in building a peaceful, resilient, and inclusive Mindanao — one rooted in healing and strengthened by unity.