The PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) program was launched as a government priority program in 2011. The PAMANA program’s goal is to support the Peace Negotiation Track in attaining fair and lasting peace situations in the country.
The PAMANA program is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in conjunction with key national government agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, and other partners.
For the last 50 years, the country has been plagued by an ongoing insurgency. Its presence in secluded locations where the poorest of the poor and Indigenous Peoples (IPs) dwell exacerbates its already challenging existence.
Also Read: How to Apply DSWD Cash for Work Program
The government responded by launching Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (or PAMANA) under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). In the following paragraphs, we will go through the benefits of this program and how to apply for it, as well as provide an overview of the project.
What is DSWD PAMANA?
PAMANA is a government program that aims to improve peacebuilding, reconstruction, and development in conflict-affected areas. It entails the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), and local governments working together to ensure that communities receive improved delivery of basic social services from government institutions that are responsive, transparent, and accountable.
The government will pursue a two-pronged strategy: (1) a negotiated political solution to all armed conflicts via peace talks and (2) efforts to resolve the insurgency’s fundamental roots. These disputes are essentially the consequence of inadequate delivery of fundamental social services, poverty, and bad governance, all of which are realities that need immediate attention.
The PAMANA program framework combines a peace perspective with existing government programs to reduce poverty and promote development convergence. This paper is intended to serve as a reference for national and local government agencies, international donors, and non-governmental organizations or institutions involved in CAA program interventions. These actions are expected to go beyond the implementation of relief efforts. CAAs would promote peaceful relations among communities and duty-bearers while addressing the root causes of violent conflict.
The government intends to achieve these objectives via competent governance. Basic social service delivery takes place in conflict-affected barangays without interference or delay from outside forces such as ethnicity; communities are empowered so that they can demand more of their own needs be met locally, putting additional pressure on providers delivering those programs because there will always be someone requesting something better if only things were paced according to their needs.
Objectives
Among the program’s goals and objectives include, but are not limited to:
- Increase community access to socioeconomic programs while tackling injustice issues
- Improve governance by increasing the capacity of national government agencies and local government units to promote and develop human rights in a conflict-sensitive, peace-promoting, culturally-sensitive, and gender-sensitive manner.
- Increase the ability of communities to tackle conflict and peace concerns by empowering them.
Simply put, PAMANA plans to:
- Reduce conflict-affected people’s poverty and susceptibility
- Contribute to the establishment of a lasting and fair peace.
- Improve national and local government’s abilities to carry out peace and development initiatives.
The PAMANA program is being carried out in accordance with a multi-stakeholder, government-wide approach. The DSWD is the primary agency in charge of implementing PAMANA throughout the country, with cooperation from other agencies and local governments (LGUs).
Benefits
Rather than rewarding individuals, this approach distributes incentives across highly contentious areas or groupings. This initiative relies heavily on the following efforts:
Identifying and addressing the root causes of violent conflict: poverty
The PAMANA Program is consistent with the national government’s objective to improve collaboration between national government agencies and local government units in conflict-affected, disadvantaged areas. There is no need for anybody to join in a terrible battle when they can care for themselves and their families, as they claim. And when people reap the benefits of progress, they are motivated to help others improve their own well-being.
Community development
Farm-to-market roads, livelihood programs, water supply systems, and environmental protection measures are examples of impact-driven initiatives that will significantly advance socioeconomic development in rural regions, particularly in last-mile settlements. The Department of Social Workers and Development (DSWD) undertook a variety of poverty alleviation initiatives costing Php 386,862,000 via PAMANA in 2019 through its Community Driven Development Program for Indigenous Peoples. In addition to funding educational assistance programs for IP communities, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples assisted in the distribution of medicine smells to those in greatest need, provided health insurance coverage to ensure that no one goes without due to simple carelessness or lack of coverage, and invested approximately two million pesos in Lumad beneficiaries’ livelihoods, resulting in improved living conditions.
Initiatives and training for peace
The OPAPP has committed to educate DSWD Field Offices and NPMO implementers in Peace and Conflict-Sensitive Programming (PCSP). This includes core peace principles and conflict analysis, emphasising investigating the consequences of violence or other disruptive forces in communities where they have happened.
DSWD PAMANA Requirements and Qualifications
From 2011 to 2016, PAMANA addresses peace agreement zones, and conflict-affected and vulnerable communities in seven zones.
- Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
- Negros Island
- Bicol-Quezon-Mindoro Corridor
- Samar Island
- CARAGA-Davao-Compostela Valley Corridor
- Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawitawi (ZamBaSulTa)
- Central Mindanao (Region X, XII and mainland ARMM).
Five conflict lines across three major categories determine PAMANA zone selection and prioritization:
Closure/Peace Agreement Areas
- Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA)
- Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/ Revolutionary Proletariat Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP/RPA/ABB or RRA)
Areas affected by the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army/National Democratic Front (CPP/NPA/NDF or CNN):
- Conflict-affected areas (CAAs) with more than 50% influenced barangays will be used to determine CNN PAMANA provinces. PAMANA also intervenes in threatened barangays. Prioritization has also been given to these municipalities with below 50% conflict-affectation but is threatened by those three parties.
Areas affected by the Moro Fronts:
- MNLF Peace and Development Communities (PDCs) were identified through the security forces.
- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) areas covered by the agreements on cessation of hostilities, rehabilitation, and socio-economic development in 150 municipalities and communities with Internally Displaced People (IDP) affected by the 2008 MOA on Ancestral Domain (AD) were also included.
Video: Pamana Peace conference ng DSWD, isinagawa
Here’s a video clip featuring the PAMANA Peace Conference of the DSWD wherein the agency officials and partners discussed the strategies and methods they will undertake to promote peace and sustain the DSWD program in the years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When was PaMaNa Program launched by DSWD
The PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) Program was established in 2011 as a government priority program that supports the Peace Negotiation Track and contributes to the achievement of Just and Lasting Peace.
It was embodied in Chapter 9 on Peace and Security of the Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016, as well as Chapter 8 on Peace and Security of the updated Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016, which identified PAMANA as the government’s development program for isolated, difficult-to-reach, and conflict-affected communities.
2. How Do I Know If My Community Is Included In The Program?
The DSWD will be able to identify eligible communities through the list provided by OPAPP, and the final inclusion will be determined mutually. Following the approval of the priority areas of PAMANA, the areas to be added in subsequent years will also be discussed and agreed upon by the agency. If a municipality decides to withdraw from the program, OPAPP will provide a list of replacement municipalities.
DSWD regional offices can help you determine if your community is on the list of places that need help. You can also ask them about the projects that PAMANA supports.
3. How Much Are The Community Grants From This Program?
The Peacebuilding and Development Fund (PDF), will distribute P300,000 to the constituents of targeted conflict-affected barangays. It will be implemented through the PAMANA program for three annual cycles depending on the availability of funds.
The PDF provides funds for community-based peace-building projects selected by PAMANA constituents. It can also be used as a complement to the GRANT FOR SUB projects or as a separate fund for specific projects.
Unlike other CDD funds, the PDF provides an opportunity for community-based projects that cannot compete with more advanced barangays.
4. What Are The Supported Activities Under This Program?
The goal of the Fund is to help communities overcome their conflict and improve their resilience. It will be achieved through three goals: reducing poverty, empowering local government officials, and improving the quality of life for all communities. The following criteria will be used to evaluate project proposals submitted through the PDF:
- Owned and operated locally. Communities must support projects. This means that the project to be funded by the Fund has been discussed and agreed upon by the communities.
- Peace-promoting and conflict-sensitive The proposed projects must demonstrate how they will aid in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. The proposal must clearly articulate the conflict issues that the project will/may address. It should also think about culturally and gender-sensitive/appropriate/responsive approaches to peacebuilding.
- Adherence to the standards of peace and social cohesion
5. What are the three pillars of the PAMANA framework?
The PAMANA framework is anchored on three (3) complementary strategic pillars that define core interventions to achieve just and lasting peace:
Pillar 1
Policy reform and governance interventions addressing issues of injustices relative to land security, natural resources, identity, and human rights
Pillar 2
Capacity-building interventions relative to strengthening government institutions and empowering communities
Pillar 3
Peace-promoting socio-economic interventions
Partnerships for the implementation of these interventions were forged over the years.
6. What is the PAMANA chapter?
Chapter 17 of the Philippine Development Plan provides the framework for the implementation of the PAMANA program. It aims to address the various needs of the country’s vulnerable and isolated communities.
7. What is the purpose of PAMANA?
The goal of PAMANA is to improve the lives of people affected by injustices and promote peace and development by establishing effective local government units and national government agencies equipped with the necessary resources to address these issues. It also aims to empower communities and strengthen their capacity to address these issues.
8. What is the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process?
The Office of the Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process is a government agency that is responsible for overseeing and implementing the comprehensive peace process. It was established in 1993 through an executive order.
9. What is DSWD and UNFAO?
On July 6, the DSWD and the UNFAO will sign a cooperation agreement to mainstream the shock-responsive social protection system. This system provides a framework for addressing the needs of vulnerable individuals.
10. What is SLP in DSWD?
Over 80 individuals experiencing poverty and hardship made their way out of it through the DSWD’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan project. The agency’s sustainable livelihood program (SLP) helped them improve their lives.
11. How much does it cost to run the PAMANA program?
Under the program, the DSWD handles the validation and assessment of beneficiaries, while the OPAPP provides fund counterpart to the project amounting to P14,750,000 (P50,000 per shelter), and P542,800.00 for Cash for Work at P184 per day for ten days work.
Final Thoughts
The DSWD, through its PAMANA program, has created a systematic approach to promote peace, rehabilitation, and sustainable development in many areas across the country. Though this may not seem like a prevalent issue nationwide, militant forces in various regions have greatly contributed to the conflicts resulting in displacement, poverty, and overall suffering of Filipinos in their hometowns.
Through this initiative, a lot of groundwork needs to be undertaken by DSWD key personnel to provide support to vulnerable groups, including war-torn communities and affected families, as well as Indigenous People in these areas.
We hope you’ve learned a lot from this post. If you have any questions regarding this topic, feel free to leave a comment below. Or you can visit the DSWD-Pamana’s page at www.dswd.gov.ph/programs/pamana for details.