SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION. The ongoing construction of a single-story, two-classroom building in far-flung Sitio Tagbawi, Barangay Rizal, Monkayo, Davao de Oro on Tuesday (Feb. 8, 2022). The Davao de Oro provincial government is set to turn over the building on March 4. (Photo courtesy of Davao de Oro-PIO) DAVAO CITY - The provincial government of Davao de Oro has started the construction of a single-story, two-classroom building in a remote village in Monkayo town. In a statement Tuesday, the provincial government said the initial target to finish and turn over the school building with complete facilities in Sitio Tagbawi, Barangay Rizal is on March 4. The sitio is once known as a haven of communist New People's Army (NPA) rebels. In 2017, the sitio withdrew from supporting the communist NPA and became one of the pilot communities to benefit from the Oplan Pagbabago Program of the provincial government. Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy said since the NPAs have been expelled from the area, development should set in. "It's opening for more opportunities. The eradication of insurgency also brought major changes in the hinterlands, and for Sitio Tagbawi, it will be a game-changer," he said. Situated on higher grounds, four tribes reside in Tagbawi and its neighboring communities - the Mangguwangan, Dibabawon, Manobo, and Mandaya. Uy said two more sitios -- Little Depot, and Upper Pasian-- will also benefit from the project. He said the initiative is a product of the province's culture of "bayanihan" through "Bayanihan Sa Paaralan Program", wherein volunteers from the Department of Education, the 25th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, employees of the provincial government, and other private partners go hand-in-hand for its completion. He also vowed to pour more projects in the barangay including a solar dryer, farm-to-market road, and a water system that will be utilized by local farmers in the area. The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the National Democratic Front as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as "an integral and inseparable part" of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973. (PNA) }