The series  of rollouts of the Oplan Serbisyo sa Kalinaw in the Ata-Manobo communities in Talaingod augurs well with  the thrust  of  the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army to seal the boundary entrances towards Davao Region which has been declared as “insurgency-free.”

Lying in the vicinity of  the Pantaron Mountain Range, the municipality of Talaingod in Davao del Norte is identified by the 10ID as the possible entrance of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) remnants still operating in the adjacent province of Bukidnon in  Northern Mindanao.

Talaingod lies in the Pantaron Mountain Range vicinity at  the  boundary of Bukidnon province in Northern Mindanao. Still thickly forested, the mountain range straddles the boundaries  of Davao Region, Northern Mindanao Region, and the CARAGA Region.

Need to sustain

Despite the seemingly peaceful and secure status of the municipality, the provincial government of Davao del Norte  still strides to make its presence felt in the hinterland areas of Talaingod.

“Once man gud nga dili ma sustain, ma stop ang mga serbisyo caravans ug ang delivery of services ngadto sa atong mga katawhan, basig makaingon sila nga  hangtod didto lang diay to (If we’d not be able to sustain,  and stop the delivery of services to the people, they would probably  say, It was just up to that time),” Tito said, referring to the period when national and  local governments waged aggressive moves to reach the peripheral communities at the height of implementing Executive Order No. 70 dealing on Ending the Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).

On top of sustaining the government's presence in the hinterlands of Talaingod, the Davao del Norte provincial government also sought to provide immediate response to those  who had been affected by the “stop-buying of Daratex,” a  variety of fiber widely assumed to be abaca.

Immediate assistance

The provincial government of Davao del Norte started hauling the Oplan Serbisyo sa Kalinaw to provide immediate relief for those severely affected by the “fake abaca” endeavor on November 7, 2023, accomplishing five rounds of massive service delivery until December 7, 2023.

The PPDO  led the Provincial Local  Peace Engagement (LPE) EO 70 Cluster in rolling out the Oplan Serbisyo para sa Kalinaw hauled in sitio Basak, Brgy Sto Nino of Talaingod; sitio Tibucag in Brgy Dagohoy; sitios Nasilaban and Central Baugan in Brgy Palma Gil; and Sitio Muling in the municipality of Kapalong.

The delivery of services was noted to have a wide-ranging impact, as it benefited residents in nearby villages aside from those living in the sitios where it was conducted.  

The 56th Infantry Battalion assisted the service caravanrollout in the Municipality of Talaingod by mobilizing the residents from neighboring villages to the service  delivery sites, while the 60th Infantry Battalion served as the major cooperating agency in organizing the service caravan rollout in Kapalong.

Oplan 2024

This year,  the Oplan Serbisyo sa Kalinaw will continue hauling local and national government services in some hinterland areas in Davao del Norte, but Provincial Planning and Development Officer IV Princess Lyn Vistal projected such service delivery to become more comprehensive, not only addressing conflict  “but also crime and disorder and illegal drugs.”

Vistal  revealed that the Oplan Serbisyo sa Kalinaw has been integrated into the three-year programs, activities, and projects (PAPs) under the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC).

“This is  just one of the programs of Governor Jubahib to achieve just and  lasting peace for  the Dabaonons,” Vistal said, citing other big-ticket projects such as roads, water system, and  rural electrification for far-flung communities.

“Atong jud ipa-feel, ipadangat sa Ilaha nga naa mi dinhi, naa ang gobyerno wala mo gikalimtan  (Let’s make them feel, tell them that we are here; the government is here, we have not forgotten you),” she added.  (JMDA/PIA Davao  del Norte)