CARAGA AGRI-FISHERY SECTOR JOINS IN PEACE, DEV’T CONFERENCE

In achieving peace and sustainable development through a holistic approach, representatives of the six sectors under the Sectoral Unification, CapacityBuilding Empowerment and Mobilization Cluster (SUCBEM) of the Caraga Regional Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTFELCAC) convened on May 31-June 1 for the Regional Conference on Peace and Development.

The SUCBEM is one of the 12 clusters of the RTFELCAC which include the identified sectors such as the farmer-fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, labor, peasant, youth, and women.

In support of the event, the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Caraga, together with the farmers and fisherfolk representatives, take part in the discussion of the issues and concerns that needs action and may serve as the basis for the priority plans and programs of the government. DA-Caraga Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo explains the importance of the event taking into consideration that the region has a high insurgency rate, wherein 191 barangays are identified as geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and conflict-affected areas (GIDCAs).

“It is significant to organize a platform for advocacy and concerns of the farmer-fisherfolk sector to effectively address gaps in governance that may provide policy recommendations and viable interventions,” said Monteagudo. The conference is organized by the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) in coordination with the DA and other government agencies such as the Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Labor and Employment, National Commission for Indigenous Peoples, Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Youth Commission, and the Department of Interior and Local Government as the lead agency in the wholeof-nation approach for peace and development. (DA-RFO XIII, RAFIS/PIACaraga)