The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has rolled out the National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (NAP-PCVE) module for villages vulnerable to insurgency in three Samar provinces.

The module was first introduced on June 20 in Catarman, Northern Samar, the DILG press statement said Thursday.

It was attended by village officials and watchmen from 40 villages in 17 towns of the province.

The next batch of module rollout was held in Catbalogan City on June 21, where 10 municipalities and cities in the province participated.

The last leg was in Borongan City, Eastern Samar on June 22, where 35 identified villages from the 11 towns and one city in the province were present.

“The said provinces were chosen as recipients of the module to assist them in resolving insurgencies in their areas. We urge village officials to share the actions of the government that are beneficial to the public, which would also result in the peace and security of the area,” the DILG regional office said.

Villages have been prioritized in the rollout of this action plan since they are the first line of defense and represent the grassroots level.

The NAP-PCVE is the comprehensive, harmonized, and synchronized national strategy of the government to prevent and counter violent extremism.

It includes programs that address the political, economic, cultural, psychosocial, and religious factors of radicalization that lead to violent extremism.

The main objective of the NAP-PCVE is to prevent radicalization leading to violent extremism through a whole-of-nation approach or convergence of the government, civil society organizations, religious sector and other key stakeholders.

Specifically, the plan seeks to institutionalize PCVE strategies from the national down to the grassroots levels; involve the different stakeholders across the broadest spectrum of society in implementing PCVE programs; apply a comprehensive and people-centered approach to address the different drivers of radicalization; ensure that PCVE strategies are inclusive and culture-and-gender-sensitive; and ensure that PCVE strategies uphold the rule of law, international rights law, and international humanitarian law. (PNA)