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Editor's Notes

• #4: At this point, please allow me to shift our discussions to Administrative Order No. 267 issued by the President on 29 June 2009 which created the Health, Education, Livelihood, Progress Task Force for Central Mindanao (HELP-CM ). You may recall that in my previous presentation to the UN-ETG last 15 June, I briefly shared the outcome of my visit to several evacuation centers in Central Mindanao. Towards the end of the presentation, I also voiced my recommendation for a convergence mechanism that would effectively respond to the effects of the hostilities in Central Mindanao, set the direction of humanitarian response to the IDP situation and the law enforcement activities that were ongoing at that time. AO 267 became the product of this recommendation. At the conceptual level, the aim of the HELP-CM Task Force is straight-forward, and that is to tie up peace, security and development onto a common framework. I am of the firm belief that only through a seamless cohesion of these 3 elements can we ensure consistency and effectiveness in our interventions, and thus provide long-term stability on the ground. Meanwhile, our main and immediate focus is to help fast-track ongoing efforts undertaken by the different Government agencies and LGUs for the early return internally-displaced persons (IDPs) to their places of origin, and the eventual restoration of normalcy in the affected communities of Central Mindanao. Let me emphasize at this point that the HELP-CM is NOT an extra layer, and neither is it intended to supplant or take over the functions and ongoing activities of agencies and LGUs involved in relief, rehabilitation and development work on the ground, such as the Inter-Agency Task Force on IDPs, etc. Through this mechanism, it is our intention to bring home the message that since we now have a SOMO/SOMA in place and the momentum of the talks is building up, our efforts are now moving towards Early Recovery of affected communities. The interagency Task Force on IDPs still takes the lead in providing much-needed assistance to evacuees and affected communities. The security sector (meaning the AFP and PNP) should now be fully on board, the LGUs fully engaged, and long-term protection for civilian communities is now in the works at the level of the negotiating Panels.
• #5: At this point, please allow me to shift our discussions to Administrative Order No. 267 issued by the President on 29 June 2009 which created the Health, Education, Livelihood, Progress Task Force for Central Mindanao (HELP-CM ). You may recall that in my previous presentation to the UN-ETG last 15 June, I briefly shared the outcome of my visit to several evacuation centers in Central Mindanao. Towards the end of the presentation, I also voiced my recommendation for a convergence mechanism that would effectively respond to the effects of the hostilities in Central Mindanao, set the direction of humanitarian response to the IDP situation and the law enforcement activities that were ongoing at that time. AO 267 became the product of this recommendation. At the conceptual level, the aim of the HELP-CM Task Force is straight-forward, and that is to tie up peace, security and development onto a common framework. I am of the firm belief that only through a seamless cohesion of these 3 elements can we ensure consistency and effectiveness in our interventions, and thus provide long-term stability on the ground. Meanwhile, our main and immediate focus is to help fast-track ongoing efforts undertaken by the different Government agencies and LGUs for the early return internally-displaced persons (IDPs) to their places of origin, and the eventual restoration of normalcy in the affected communities of Central Mindanao. Let me emphasize at this point that the HELP-CM is NOT an extra layer, and neither is it intended to supplant or take over the functions and ongoing activities of agencies and LGUs involved in relief, rehabilitation and development work on the ground, such as the Inter-Agency Task Force on IDPs, etc. Through this mechanism, it is our intention to bring home the message that since we now have a SOMO/SOMA in place and the momentum of the talks is building up, our efforts are now moving towards Early Recovery of affected communities. The interagency Task Force on IDPs still takes the lead in providing much-needed assistance to evacuees and affected communities. The security sector (meaning the AFP and PNP) should now be fully on board, the LGUs fully engaged, and long-term protection for civilian communities is now in the works at the level of the negotiating Panels.