Tacloban City – More than 2,000 residents of Palapag town in Northern Samar province received the services provided under the “All-in-One Mission” (A1Ms) of Mindanao Humanitarian Volunteer for Peace (MHVP) in partnership with the 20th Infantry Battalion.
The MHVP, which has more than 200 volunteers, is the country’s largest volunteer organization that is conducting all-in-one missions not only in Mindanao and in other conflict-affected and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).
A total of 1, 893 individuals received services such as medical (992), cataract surgery (32), prescription glasses (170), reading glasses (280), pediatric consultation (80), circumcisions (63), blood typing (27), dental services (54), free haircut (80), laboratory services (195), and 30 children who joined the ‘art for peace’ workshop.
“Ang ganitong serbisyo ay resulta ng matagumpay na communist support program, (CSP) immersion sa mga apektadong barangay. Ito din ay isang paraan upang tuluyang makamtan ang pangmatagalang kapayapaan at tuloy-tuloy na pag-unlad,” 20th IB commanding officer Lt.Col Joemar Buban said.
The military official added that the activity also shows that when private and government sectors work together, this makes it easier to end the problem of local communist armed conflict and for delivering services to the community.
Palapag is one of the towns in Northern Samar an intensified CSP immersion was conducted by the Philippine Army to 27 out of its 32 villages.
During the CSP implementation, several concerns of the villagers were forwarded to concerned government agencies.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
