The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU), in partnership with the Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur, held another follow-up discussion at the Provincial Gender and Development Office Conference Room on the proposed project and livelihood activities to support the 211 “returning friends,” divided into 11 cooperatives, in the province under the Preventing and Transforming Violent Extremism (PTVE) program. Under OPAPRU’s Social Healing and Peacebuilding Program (SHAPE), the PTVE program aims to assist the reintegration of the “returning friends” by offering humanitarian aid, security guarantees, and religious guidance.

The meeting was attended by the members of the Lanao del Sur Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) Committee, specifically by the representatives from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), Provincial Gender and Development (PGAD), Peace and Development Office, Provincial Cooperative Office (PCO), 103rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, and the Provincial Information Office (PIO).

OPAPRU for Social Healing and Peacebuilding Team Leader Ashary Dimaocor emphasized that the significance of the meeting is to furnish the project outline of the capacity development program that comprises the livelihood and economic reintegration components and basic skills training and workshops for the cooperatives. Consequently, the committee, with its unrelenting effort, is looking forward to implementing the program interventions within the year.

This year’s program component is centered on socioeconomic transformation for FVEs in Lanao del Sur, by recovery frameworks tailored to the local context and national peacebuilding mandates. The program facilitates inclusive reintegration and builds long-term community resilience by combining strategic support for livelihoods, spiritual enrichment, and digital capacity-building.