Fifteen (15) barangays in the selected municipalities of Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro will receive projects this year under the National Government’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS).

The projects will be delivered under the PAMANA Community Driven Development (CDD) Program, targeting a total of 15 barangays in the entire MIMAROPA region. Last year, only one municipality implemented the PAMANA project, in the Municipality of Bataraza, Palawan.

Ms. Donna F. Ferranco, LGU Bulalacao Municipal Area Coordinator and Municipal Budget Officer, stated that this year’s PAMANA will focus on promoting social welfare and protection for Indigenous Peoples (IPs), creating an inclusive program for both IPs and the LGUs willing to support sustainable programs.

As part of the social preparation for the PAMANA project, simultaneous Barangay Development Council Meetings were held in fifteen (15) barangays which underwent project orientations for the PAMANA programs. The activities were attended by Barangay Development Council members, sectoral groups including Indigenous Peoples, wherein discussions covered project scope, target activities, timeline, and implementation guidelines for identifying proposed sub-project implementation. Each community will receive community grants amounting to Php 1,200,000.00.

Richard R. Labay, BDC Chairman of Barangay Buong Lupa, Gloria, expressed commitments to support the PAMANA project. The barangay identified for project implementation is one of the farthest and hardest to reach barangays in the municipality. It is home to three IP tribes, the Tau-Buhid, Tadyawan, and Bangon, with a population of 710 who will benefit from the project.

 

This initiative aims to augment social protection in conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable communities through three components: Capacity development training, community grants, and program administration including monitoring. PAMANA strives to empower citizens as stronger agents of peace and development in the region and the country, forming part of the current framework for peace and development focused on promoting inclusive growth and lasting peace.