Our Safety, Our Shared Responsibility

(Best Practices in Capacitating Urban Communities for Peace and Development)

Real heroes are those who protect the safety not just of themselves and their family, but also that of the community. Thus, shared responsibility must be instilled among the townspeople in order for peace and safety to prevail in the municipality.

Capacitating Urban Communities for Peace and Development (CUCPD) means more than just preventing criminality and the rise of communist groups, it requires a more holistic approach such that the roots of the problem are solved so that we can break the dangerous cycle of breeding and pushing individuals into joining organizations that disrupt peace and order in the country. Thus, the Local Government Unit of Bayambang is aiming to improve the general well-being and uplift the quality of lives of the people by implementing the programs, projects, and activities which are all part of the ultimate goal of eradicating the root cause of criminality and even terrorism: poverty.

Equipping the people with ample knowledge and resources is a top priority in this goal. For this, the Office of the Municipal Assessor heads the delineation of military reservations wherein residents whose properties are affected in the inventory of informal settlers in five (5) barangays are informed of their situation and the ways in which the LGU can help them claim the land legally. Farmers from urban barangays who have claims on the more than 2,000-hectare land in the Mangabul reservation shall also be the beneficiaries in the distribution of land titles once the municipality succeeds in the conversion of the land to from forest reservation to alienable and disposable land. LGU-Bayambang is pushing for this development as this will be a well-deserved years-in-the-making win for the community.

Dialogues, information and education campaigns, and the establishment of people’s organizations are also being conducted. This way, the people are equipped and empowered, and the relationship between the public and the private sectors is further strengthened. People’s organizations and Civil Society Organizations have been instrumental in empowering the people with housing projects, classroom constructions, outreach programs, gift-giving activities, and other such initiatives that boost the morale and encourage unity amongst the community. The creation of a Technical Working Committee that will focus on the rights of families who have long settled in untitled lands is also underway with the finalization of an Executive Order following the series of meetings done with its members.

To top off the efforts of the LGU, the Urban Poor Summit and Workshop will be held on December 2021 with the theme “Karapatan ng May-Ari ng Lupa, Karapatan ng Nakatira sa Lupa, Tungkulin ng Gobyerno.” This will focus on taking care of the rights of the residents in order for them to be more productive and empowered members of the society. Farmers’ associations, religious communities, women, informal settlers, and other members of urban communities will be invited, along with the different offices of the LGU, especially the members of the TWG, for better relationship and discussions regarding the needs of the public and private sectors.

All these efforts are just a part of the grand scheme of the LGU to eradicate poverty and ultimately create a harmonious community in Bayambang, an environment that will not attract criminality, especially unwanted elements with dangerous extremist thoughts that could lure the most vulnerable, especially the idealistic youth.