Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza is pushing for more socio-economic intervention in far-flung and underdeveloped communities in Mindanao, as part of the national government’s programs in promoting the principles of greater inclusivity and participation, especially among the vulnerable and underprivileged sectors such as the Lumad.
On Sunday, during the medical, dental, and social healing mission of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI), and the Buda Community Healthcare Center-Committee of German Doctors, Dureza said that their engagement to the Indigenous People (IPs) through free health and social services offered by government and private sector institutions is not a “one shot deal”.
“This starts only by some therapeutic attention to them. But actually, our next stage is on how to improve their lives,” Sec. Dureza said during an ambush interview by the media.
The OPAPP Secretary added, “You cannot attain peace if the people are starving or has an undergoing ailment in their body. So that’s part of our general intention of being peace to everyone, so that they would be peaceful and more productive.”
Sec. Dureza said that they wanted to focus on addressing the needs of the Lumads because they are the main addressees of the problem.
He said that the OPAPP’s initiative is one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s agenda in addressing the issues of poverty around conflict areas. Dureza also believes that there must be convergence between peace and development in order to address the long-time problem that the IPs have been suffering.
A total of 472 Matigsalug patients were served by the 179 volunteers from different sectors, both government and private sector, during the long-day medical and dental mission at Barangay Buda, Marilog District. These includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, government workers, and members of the security sector.
