Mountain Province gets peace fund

BAGUIO CITY — The Mountain Province will receive a P105-million funding for projects that will boost the peace and development in the province.

The funds will come from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU).

OPAPRU Secretary Carlito G. Galvez said the fund will be used for various projects as part of the government’s anti-insurgency program, including infrastructure projects such as farm-to-market roads, among others.

Mr. Galvez said the Cordillera Region is the epicenter of peace and development, citing the highland region as once a stronghold of the communist movement in the 1980s.

OPAPRU has already earmarked around P600 million this year to fund 15 peace and development projects, mostly implemented in Kalinga, Apayao, Ifugao, and Mountain Province.

According to the OPAPRU chief, Cordillera is a model of peace and development compared to other regions vis-à-vis the insurgency issue. — Artemio A. Dumlao