Kalayaan Barangays Program

Kalayaan Barangay Program (KBP)

The Kalayaan Barangays Program or KALAHI para sa Kalayaan is intended to put an end to the decades-old problem of communist insurgency and usher in peace and development in poverty stricken rural barangays.

It is in line with government's goal to rehabilitate and develop of conflict-affected areas as contained in the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan for 2004-2010 or the National Peace Plan.

The program's ultimate goal is the achievement of sustainable peace in the community following the human security framework of freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom from humiliation and exclusion.

Specifically, it seeks to empower the target barangays to be able to build and sustain peace and development; restore and strengthen formal governance institutions and maintain peace and security in the area; and fast-track the delivery of government's commitment under signed final peace agreements.

Currently, the Kalayaan Barangays Program covers 600 conflict-affected barangays in 12 regions in the country. These regions are the CAR, Regions III, IV-A, VI-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI and CARAGA.

Of the total areas covered, 500 barangays were identified by the Department of National Defense (DND) through the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as priority communist insurgency areas. These barangays are either infiltrated or influenced areas of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) selected the 100 peace agreement areas in consultation with members of the Cordillera Peoples' Liberation Army (CPLA) and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletariat Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPM-P/RPA/ABB), who now have formal peace agreements with government.

Each Kalayaan Barangay is allocated a ceiling of P5 million or a total of P3 billion development package for the 600 barangays, consisting of the establishment of basic infrastructures such as access road, potable water system, school building, electricity, and appropriate health facility, livelihood/employment projects, and social services that were identified and prioritized by communities themselves.

The OPAPP, in partnership with local civil society organizations, will also initiate peace education and advocacy activities to promote the culture of peace in the priority barangays.

To date, a total of P1.442 billion has been raised to fund various infrastructure projects in the Kalayaan barangays. Majority of this amount has been transferred to the AFP Engineering Brigade under the National Development Support Command (NDSC).

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