NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines – The newly transitioned Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) will broaden its mandate to continue President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s legacy in advancing the country’s peace process.

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity, said Thursday that the agency is committed to preserving the gains of the comprehensive Philippine peace process by assisting former rebels and their families in reintegrating into society as more “peaceful and productive members.”

By virtue of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s executive order (EO) 158, reorganizing and renaming the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) to OPAPRU on Dec. 27, 2021.

“With its new name and expanded mandate under Executive Order 158, our organization is not only focused on fulfilling the national government’s commitments under all signed peace agreements, but also on fostering reconciliation and unity among our people,” Galvez said in a news release.

Additionally, OPAPRU seeks to transform “previously conflicted areas into showcases of peace and development.”

Galvez cited the successful implementation of peace processes with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Moro National Liberation Front (MILF), the Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA), and the Rebolusyonaryo Partido Manggagawa-Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade-Tabara Paduano Group (RPM

He emphasized, however, the importance of OPAPRU looking beyond the signed peace agreements and developing more innovative ways to sustain the gains made at these peace tables.

“All peace negotiations have concluded, and the organization’s development must be accelerated in order to carry out and implement the signed agreements. “During the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), he committed to honoring and implementing the signed peace agreements,” he said.

“And with that marching order, we recognized the need to expand our scope in order to encompass the fundamentals of rehabilitation and reconciliation, including the unification and harmonization of communities impacted by armed conflict,” Galvez added.

Galvez stated that the OPAPRU has three primary goals: embedding peace, reconciliation, and unity into the social fabric; enhancing peace resilience; and pursuing social, economic, and political reengineering.

The then-current OPAPP limits the peace adviser’s role to advising the President on the management, direction, and supervision of the comprehensive peace process, whereas the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (PAPRU) is now charged with managing, directing, integrating, and supervising all aspects of the comprehensive peace process on behalf of the President, including initiatives that promote and reinforce national reconciliation and unity.

Additionally, the PAPRU will ensure greater coordination among various line agencies in implementing peace and development initiatives that are anchored in the whole-of-nation, whole-of-society approach mandated by Executive Order No. 70.

“We alter our organization’s thinking and behavior while also examining the processes that must be undertaken — from negotiation to mediation, rehabilitation and reconstruction, the establishment of reconciliatory avenues, and finally, the establishment of harmonious relationships,” Galvez explained.

The peace adviser envisions the OPAPRU as a “one-stop shop” for synergizing and integrating the various line agencies’ peace-building and development interventions.

“With the Columbian government, we share the same philosophy. We have eight core agencies that will collaborate to eradicate poverty in conflict-affected areas, increase the human development index, and strengthen community peace and security efforts,” Galvez said.

He emphasized that the OPAPRU’s mandate is not duplication of the operations of other line agencies, but rather enhancement and complementation of government services.

Galvez stated that as a member of the Cabinet’s Security, Justice, and Peace Coordinating Cluster (SJPCC) and the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization (ICCMN), the OPAPRU has been able to assist and enhance the delivery of other member agencies’ peace-related programs.

“OPAPRU’s interventions are not redundant because they are intended to complement and integrate the initiatives of other agencies in accordance with Executive Order 70, Executive Order 79, and the SJPCC,” he explained.

Galvez also emphasized the importance of the OPAPRU integrating and harmonizing the various initiatives undertaken by the various peace tables.

“By doing so, all of our interventions will reinforce, complement, and strengthen one another, thereby increasing their impact on our nation’s peace, security, and development, as well as on our countrymen’s socioeconomic well-being,” he said.

Galvez is also optimistic that the next administration will continue the Duterte administration’s peace-building policies and initiatives.

“I am confident that the next administration will prioritize the peace process and will carry forward the Duterte administration’s positive legacy,” he said.

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