War and peace in a Bohol barangay

MORE than a decade ago, nearly half of the population of Magsaysay, a remote barangay in Sevilla, Bohol, left amid constant clashes there of the military and the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist People’s Party. Many of those who left have since returned to Magsaysay — and have found little has changed.

Indeed, despite efforts of the provincial government to reduce the poverty incidence in Bohol, places like Magsaysay remain mired in poverty (which, incidentally, was what made joining the NPA attractive to many youths in such areas). In part, that is because it is a fragile peace that reigns in Magsaysay, and even the weakest threat of a sudden slide back to chaos has slowed any steps toward development there.

Ironically, however, the bane of Magsaysay’s existence may lead eventually to its salvation. Because it has been identified so heavily with the NPA, Magsaysay is now in the local government’s list of places it needs to improve, and quickly.

It’s been a case of a half-step forward and two steps back, though. One foreign organization that wanted to help the barangay retreated when told it may still not be safe for its workers to be there. Just recently, a cache of arms and ammunition was allegedly belonging to the NPA was found in the village next door.

So far, the municipal government has managed to build a new high school a couple of kilometers from Magsaysay. It has also paved a road in the barangay. To Magsaysay’s residents, however, the biggest improvement has been the relative peace they have enjoyed in the last few years.

We hope the piece, which is part of i Report‘s series on Faces of Change and Changeless Places, will help remind local leaders that even the farthest places deserve their constant attention — before it is too late.

Read on at pcij.org.