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Lola Pilar, 79 years old, was the oldest of the participants of the Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA Healing Session. Her son was killed because he was suspected as member of the New People’s Army (NPA) way back in 2006.Calbayog City – The Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) conducted a healing session for trauma victims of armed conflict in San Jose de Buan, Samar on July 3-5. The three-day activity was held in I’s Plant Hotel and Restaurant of this city.

The healing session aimed to help the trauma victims heal, recover from and let go of the emotional and psychological pain inflicted to them.

“Healing is a long process, especially that we are talking here of mental torture. It is easier to heal the physical wound than that of the soul”, said Ananias Rebato, Municipal Mayor of San Jose de Buan, Samar.

Kalahi-CIDSS Regional Project Coordinator Natividad Sequito disclosed that the healing session was divided into different sub-activities. The first was the “pulso ng buhay” or identifying oneself wherein participants were tasked to reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, joy, plans and steps on how to achieve them. The second was the “banig ng buhay” wherein they identified the different stages in their lives that were significant to them and the people who influenced them during that time. The third was identifying the healing strategies. Then the fourth was planning of activities that would ensure sustainability of the healing process.

Sequito added, “This is a very touching and rewarding activity. You will feel the pain of the participants as they share their experiences on what they’ve been through in armed conflict. I am thankful for being part of this activity; for being able to help them just by listening to them”.

A mass was held on the last day of the healing session wherein the participants burned the paper where they have written the experiences that traumatized them. The burning of the paper symbolized that they had let go of the pain that they had kept for a long time.

KALAHI-CIDSS is a government project spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). It uses the Community Driven Development (CDD) approach and aims to empower the community, improve local governance and reduce poverty.

PAMANA is a project of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) that has engaged the DSWD to improve access of conflict-affected and vulnerable areas to basic social services and accountable governance using the CDD strategy.

San Jose de Buan, Samar is the pilot municipality in Region Eight implementing Kalahi-CIDSS PAMANA, covering the five conflict-affected barangays of Poblacion 3 and 4, Hilomot, Babaclayon, and Hidurama.