MANILA — The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will turnover 10 road projects in Caraga Region worth PhP 1.440-billion on Friday, July 28, 2023.

The road construction projects, which were initially funded under the national government’s PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) Program in 2017 and 2018, consisted of two (2) farm-to-market roads, five (5) roads with bridges, two (2) roads, and one (1) road rehabilitation in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur.

“The completion and mass turnover of these longstanding infrastructure projects in Caraga will benefit its residents, especially those living in hard-to-reach areas,” Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr. said. “Enhanced connectivity made possible by these newly built roads and bridges will certainly improve their quality of life by providing better access to much needed basic services and ensuring timely delivery of goods.”

“We expect these transportation networks to not only physically connect Caraga residents but also foster unity, social interaction, and socio-economic progress among communities,” the chief presidential peace adviser added. “Through these PAMANA initiatives fueled by interagency collaborations, we hope to address development challenges in conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable areas nationwide,” Sec. Galvez said.

PAMANA, which was launched in 2011, is the government’s development program designed to reach isolated, hard-to-reach, and conflict-affected communities. Currently, it supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. Administration’s Five-Point Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Agenda, particularly on the implementation of peace-promoting, catch-up socio-economic development in conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable areas.

OPAPRU is mandated to oversee, coordinate, and integrate the implementation of the PAMANA Program. As an oversight agency, implementation of the program’s interventions is mainstreamed in various government agencies, such as DPWH.

“OPAPRU forged a partnership with DPWH Regional Office XIII to implement several PAMANA projects which originally received funding for 2017 and 2018,” according to Sec. Galvez.

“Through the two agencies’ perseverance and the respective local government units’ patience through the years, we are happy to report the completion of these projects that will benefit the people of these areas.”

Sec. Galvez expressed his appreciateion to Public Works Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, and Agusan del Norte Gov. Maria Angelica Rosedell M. Amante-Matba, Agusan del Sur Gov. Santiago Barriga Cane, Jr., Surigao del Norte Gov. Robert Lyndon Smith Barbers, and Surigao del Sur Gov. Alexander Ty Pimentel.

“We would like to thank both the DPWH and the leadership of the LGUs in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur for working with us to complete these initiatives. With each PAMANA project completed, we are always one step closer to our goal of building a culture of just and lasting peace,” Sec. Galvez said.

“We look forward to reaching 100% completion rate as we continue to implement PAMANA initiatives on the ground as a way to genuine and sustainable peace in these conflict-vulnerable areas.”

The PAMANA Program aims to contribute to: (1) addressing issues of injustices and improve community access to socio-economic interventions; (2) improving governance by building the capacity of national government agencies and local government units for a conflict-sensitive, peace promoting, culture-sensitive and gender-sensitive approach to human rights promotion and development; and, (3) empowering communities and strengthening their capacities to address issues of conflict and peace. ###