Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte recently created the Davao Peacebuilding Office (DPO) where the PEACE 911 project, designed to address concerns in Paquibato District, will continue under its office, among its other duties and functions.
Mayor Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) 72, series of 2021, known as “An Order Creating The Davao Peacebuilding Office,” on December 29, 2021.
“The Peace 911 General Committee, under Section 2 of Executive Order No. 54, Series of 2019 and with the guidance of the local chief executive, finds it necessary to refocus the mandate of Peace 911 by redefining the functions of Peace 911, and identifying the specific Peace 911 focus areas,” the mayor said in her EO 72, series of 2021.
She also said that after the creation of Executive Order No. 08, Series of 2021, an order amending Executive Order No. 54, Series of 2019, the focus area of Peace 911 was redefined.
EO 72, series of 2021, mandates that a peacebuilding officer shall be designated by the city mayor to head the DPO.
The new office shall serve as the gatekeeper of all programs and projects to be implemented within its focus areas, and as such, shall coordinate all efforts and initiatives with relevant officials and citizens in the affected barangays, government agencies concerned, and/or prospective project proponents to effectively manage and smoothly carry out the programs to build and sustain peace in these areas.
It shall also serve as the implementing arm of all initiatives under the peacebuilding program in the focus areas; create a single channel for all programs and services that shall be introduced in the focus areas to ensure convergence of efforts toward building and sustaining peace; coordinate with relevant city, regional, and national government agencies in the implementation of programs and projects; and employ, as appropriate, the Whole-of-Nation peacebuilding approach of the national government.
The DPO is also ordered to report any issues and concerns and make appropriate recommendations to the city mayor and/or to the Peace 911 General Committee, and perform such other duties and functions related to peacebuilding within its jurisdiction, as may be assigned by the city mayor.
Mayor Duterte shall determine the human resource requirements through the recommendation of the peacebuilding officer for DPO to be immediately operational.
DPO’s personnel and operating expenses will be sourced from the Office of the City Mayor.
Mayor Duterte cited EO No. 34, series of 2017, which created the Davao City Local Peace Committee (DC-PEACE) to particularly initiate, lead, promote, encourage, and facilitate the joint and inclusive local peace negotiations with members of the communist movement within the jurisdiction of Davao City; and the Presidential Proclamation No. 374 on December 5, 2017, declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – New People’s Army (NPA) as a designated/identified terrorist organization according to Republic Act No. 10168, otherwise known as “The Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.”
She earlier underscored the need to modify EO 34, series of 2017, which created the Davao City Local Peace committee (DC-PEACE) in light of the President’s issuance thus she issued EO No. 45, series of 2017, on December 7, 2017, to reconstitute the Davao City Local Peace Committee (DC-PEACE) into the Davao City Advisory Committee on Peace and Development (DC PEACE-DEV), defining its duties and responsibilities, and for other purposes.
EO 72, series of 2021, states that Davao City has long engaged in peacebuilding through DC PEACE-DEV created by EO 45, series of 2017, and DC PEACE 911 created by EO 12, series of 2018, before the issuance of the President’s EO 70.
The DC PEACE-DEV conducted community consultations called “panag-ambit” in pilot barangays, which made the peacebuilding process programs part of the committee’s duty to create solutions to identified concerns within its jurisdiction.
Mayor Duterte also signed EO 54, series of 2019, on December 27, 2019, integrating Presidential Executive Order No. 70, Series of 2018, and its implementing guidelines into the Peace 911.
Check out the full provisions of EO 72, series of 2021 here https://dcstaging.davaocity.gov.ph/transparency/executive-orders/2021-executive-orders/. CIO
