“It is ironic that we at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) keep getting flak from some quarters in the local government units that our services are not accessed by their respective constituencies, but now our efforts to go to far-flung areas to deliver said services are being blocked.”

This is the statement of Assistant Secretary for the Office of the Secretary Group (Osec Group) Prof. Aleli B. Bawagan today as the team from the DSWD she is leading in the conduct of a one-stop shop (OSS) DSWD services activity is being harassed in Kapalong, Davao del Norte.

Asec. Bawagan’s team is comprised of 17 personnel from the DSWD Central Office, three from the DSWD Field Office XI, and seven DSWD field personnel and they reached the Municipality of Kapalong at around 12 pm yesterday. They had lunch and proceeded to the town hall to make a courtesy call on the Local Chief Executive, the Sangguniang Bayan, and the Indigenous People’s Mandatory Representative (IPMR). The Mayor, Ma. Theresa Timbol, however, did not face the team and instead assigned her Municipal Administrator, Mr. Gaspar Balingaw and the Municipal IPMR to discuss the activity at the office of the Vice Mayor.

Asec.  Bawagan introduced the team members, explained its composition and the objective of the activity. Mr. Ronald Papag, DSWD focal for civil society organization concerns, gave an overview of the OSS as part of the Comprehensive Program on Relief and Early Recovery of Lumad Communities in Mindanao. He explained that the OSS is a project being pilot tested in relation to the crafting of a manual and guide for the creation of an  Indigenous Peoples (IP) Framework and DSWD’s IP program.

The IPMR official, Datu Arturo Davao, on the other hand, in his opening statement said that “he heard” that an NGO named PASAKA is included as part of the team. This has been supported by the Municipal Administrator but when the team asked specifically for the basis of the claim, the  IPMR said that they had received a  letter specifically stating that PASAKA is included in the team. He was also unable to show the letter.

“We transparently shared the DSWD’s  purposes/objectives for conducting the OSS, but the officials were more or less unresponsive,” Asec. Bawagan said. “It was all very disconcerting because this is supposed to be cut-and-dried service delivery activity.”

At around 3:30pm yesterday, at the request of IPMR, Asec. Bawagan and the rest of the team suggested moving the venue of discussions to the  Sangguniang Bayan Session Hall. Present were the IPMRs of different barangays of the municipality and the team.

“The meeting was tension-filled and the LGU officials stated their vehement opposition against our proceeding to the OSS site where DSWD client-beneficiaries were waiting for us to arrive with some 2,500 DSWD family food packs and information materials on how they can access other DSWD programs and services.  At around 4pm, we proposed that we, however, proceed with the activity up until the barangay proper of Gupitan with consideration of the transportation arrangements made by the DSWD FO. We said that we would stay in Gupitan for only one day,” explained Asec. Bawagan.

“Our negotiations with the LGU officials continued until we all reached a consensus that we would send an advance party to the community so the  IPMR can tell members of the paramilitary group  Bagani of our planned arrival at 5am the following day — which is today, August 31. Came early evening yesterday at 6:30pm, however,  the IPMR went to us to the small lodging house where we were staying to tell us that the paramilitary group Bagani refuses to allow us into the area. The Bagani also warned us that if we insisted, there would be killing. ‘Sasampulan daw kami.’ Kapalong Mayor Timbol has also told local DSWD personnel that she is against us proceeding and has practically prohibited the staff from going.”

“It is most disappointing that LGU officials are hindering the DSWD’s efforts to help impoverished Filipinos in isolated communities which are under their jurisdiction. As a national government agency, the DSWD exerts efforts to assist the LGU in addressing the welfare needs of these communities — including IP communities — but the LGU in Kapalong is preventing us from proceeding. It is also quite shocking that it is taking its cue from a paramilitary group, the Bagani. Where is civilian authority? Why is the Bagani being allowed to wield such influence when it is a paramilitary group that should be disbanded? This is a most distressing state of affairs,” concluded Asec. Bawagan.

As of this writing, Asec. Bawagan and her DSWD team are still asserting their right to proceed with the OSS and negotiating for assistance from the Philippine National Police to accompany them to the areas where the OSS is intended to be held. #