Coconut Planting Program Supports the Livelihood of Peace Builders in the Province

In an ongoing effort to strengthen peace-building in the province, Northern Samar Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NSPTF-ELCAC) made a significant step toward promoting peace through a hybrid coconut planting program. This activity, held on September 12, 2024, in Barangay Cablangan, Mondragon, Northern Samar, was part of the National Peace Month celebration.

A total of 100 dwarf coconut seedlings, provided by the Philippine Coconut Authority, were planted by stakeholders to support the Peace Builders' kopra (coconut) livelihood. The program aims to offer alternative income opportunities to 27 families of former insurgents while revitalizing the coconut industry, a key agricultural sector in the province.

The event brought together several government agencies from the peace and security sector, including the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Northern Samar, the Northern Samar Police Provincial Office, and the 803rd Peacemaker Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army. The Provincial Government, through its Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), Provincial Engineering Office (PEO), and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), also supported the initiative.

These peace-building efforts align with the Provincial Government’s priorities under the leadership of Governor Edwin Ongchuan, whose advocacy for environmental care, protection, peace, and livelihood development is reflected in his vision of a Marig-on, Mainuswagon, ngan Malipayon nga Nortehanon.