Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Friday reiterated the Marcos administration’s commitment to delivering all obligations of the national government in signed peace agreements.
“The OPAPRU stands firm in its commitment to fulfill the remaining deliverables under all our signed peace agreements, as directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,” Galvez said in a news release.
He made the assurance during the Joint Normalization Committee’s launch of the coffee table book “Metamorphosis: A Decade’s Journey to Peace” on Nov. 19, which documents 10 years of milestones, lessons, and progress under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
The book is also a tribute to the decade-long journey of the Bangsamoro people and stakeholders towards a just and lasting peace, he added.
“Through the accelerated implementation of the Normalization Program, we are ensuring that the dividends of peace are sustained,” he said.
Galvez also noted that the “decommissioning of MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) combatants and their reintegration to mainstream society, and the delivery of socio-economic interventions” remain central to the Philippine government’s peacebuilding efforts.
“It is my earnest hope that we all continue to serve as guardians of peace, ensuring that the sacrifices made by the peace champions who came before us will bear fruit and be sustained,” he said.
Galvez also honored former Philippine presidents who have played crucial roles in advancing the peace process in the Bangsamoro.
He recognized the late president Benigno Aquino III, whose administration facilitated the talks with the MILF and pushed for the passage of the CAB.
He also thanked former president Rodrigo Duterte for ensuring the implementation of the agreement through the approval of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
The Marcos administration, he said, will not waver in its obligation to implement all signed peace agreements, leading toward their fruition, before their conclusion. (PNA)