Officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) initiated a dialogue with former members of non-state armed groups and community leaders in Patikul, Sulu to gather insights that will further enhance the agency’s case management guide for its peace and development programs.
DSWD Undersecretary for Inclusive-Sustainable Peace and Special Concerns Alan Tanjusay and Assistant Secretary Arnel Garcia, together with the DSWD team, conducted on January 30 focus group discussions (FGDs) and interviews with former members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and barangay officials and community leaders of the Balik-Barangay program areas.
“Following the instruction of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, we conducted the dialogue that centered on understanding the unique challenges faced by the community and identifying collaborative strategies to address them, anchored on the experiences of the former ASG members and the community leaders,” Usec. Tanjusay said.
Usec Tanjusay said the data gathered from the briefing, FGDs, and the community visit will serve as input for the enhancement of the current Case Management Guide for Peace and Development Programs by the DSWD.
The DSWD official noted that the case management guide is crucial in handling cases of individuals, families and communities that are directly involved and affected by armed conflict.
“The guide would aid the formulation and implementation of more defined and focused programs and activities for former members of non-state armed groups, aiding their transition back to becoming productive citizens of our country,” Usec Tanjusay said.
According to USec. Tanjusay, the community members who were engaged in the dialogue were once displaced due to the armed conflict that continued to worsen and put their lives on the line, and later on were returned to their homes through the “Balik Barangay Program”, a joint effort of the Sulu provincial government, the Patikul municipal government in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR ) Philippines and other partner agencies.
“The remarkable experience of these community members will provide us with a good overview of how they returned home despite the armed conflict. These will surely help us improve our case management guide to facilitate our clients’ eventual healing and mainstreaming for sustained peace and development outcomes,” Usec. Tanjusay explained.
Before the conduct of the dialogue, the DSWD Team met with Brigadier General Taharudin Piang Ampatuan and other officials at the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) in Zamboanga City for a briefing on the Balik-Barangay Program being implemented in the municipality.
“The briefing served as a venue for the sharing of best practices and experience in peace and development work, which is an emerging client sector being catered to by the DSWD,” the DSWD undersecretary noted.
The DSWD Team also visited two former conflict-affected barangays in Patikul town that have benefited from the Balik-Barangay Program, including interventions from the DSWD.
The DSWD officials were assisted by the staff and representatives from the DSWD Field Office 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) of Sulu.
