Abstract:
The PAMANA program, as a complementary tract to the peace process in the Philippines, aims to provide peace and development projects to conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable areas. One of its objectives is to build resilient communities by providing empowering activities and mechanisms for the beneficiaries. The study wanted to assess and analyze the experiences of the beneficiaries with the PAMANA program as an empowerment tool. Empowerment is multidimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. The study was guided by the theory that empowerment is achieved if opportunity and power presents itself to the people. To integrate the literature and theories provided, the research adopted the case study method focusing on the experiences of the beneficiaries gathered through in-depth interviews and observation. Key informant interviews and secondary data were used in the process of triangulation, which tests the validity and reliability of data collected. The data showed that the PAMANA program was an effective empowerment tool because of its emphasis on the beneficiaries’ role in its implementation. The PAMANA program succeeded in the area of Barangay Tagbacan Ilaya because of the combination of its empowering activities and the good and well-integrated working relations between the beneficiaries and the implementers. The culture of “bayanihan” in the barangay further strengthened the bond among the beneficiaries and implementers. Although it was a success, the problem of sustainability of projects and lack of longterm program was raised.
