Socio-economic package approval sought

POREBADA villagers are calling on the government to make the payment of the NEC-approved peace-making socio-economic package of K1.2 million immediately.
“Porebada people who lost their relatives in the clash with Boera villagers earlier this year are running out of patience over the delayed payment,” Colin Morea, the secretary of the Porebada task force committee in Port Moresby said yesterday.
Porebada and Boera, the two Motuan villages, clashed in late January over land portion 152.
Four men from Porebada village lost their lives as a result and national leaders, including Sir Puka Temu (then deputy prime minister and minister for lands and physical planning) and Dame Carol Kidu visited the villagers and urged them not to fight.
The villagers obeyed.
Following that, when the NEC met in May 7, they made a decision to pay the Porebada landowners K1.2 million as a peace-making package.
To this day, no money had been paid.
In the same meeting, the NEC approved payments of other ministerial commitments of K93.2 million in relation to the PNG LNG project.
To date, nothing has been paid to Porebada villagers.
Morea told The National in Port Moresby that a fight broke out on Monday as result of the frustration of the villagers over the delayed payment as well as on other matters.
Morea said another issue that the government should also address immediately was to investigate Porebada Holdings, the umbrella company of the villagers.
“The directors of the company have not produced financial reports for 2009 and 2010.
“If the PH directors and employees were not doing a good job then, they must be sacked,” Morea said.
He said the villagers were planning to put up a road block at the Porebada-Lealea junction next week in frustration over the delay of payment.