TAGUIG CITY—The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) led a wreath-offering ceremony on Thursday, 26 Septemberto honor the nation’s peace exemplars.

The ceremony is part of the annual celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month.

Honored at the Libingan ng mga Bayani were the late Presidents Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. and Fidel V. Ramos and former Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Commissioner Haydee B. Yorac.

Presidential Peace Adviser Sec. Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. laid the wreath on Yorac’s tomb, saying she “best personifies what an empowered Filipina is: brilliant, courageous, and passionate.”

During former President Ramos’ presidency, Yorac led peace talks with revolutionary groups as head of the National Unification Commission (NUC) which is OPAPRU’s predecessor.

It was during her term when peace negotiations with various Moro fronts resumed and gained momentum.

At the tombs of Ramos and Marcos Sr., Galvez stressed that the resolute commitment of the former presidents in advancing genuine peace laid the foundations for all the progress attained in the peace process, particularly with the Bangsamoro people.

The 1976 Tripoli Agreement signed between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) during the term of Marcos Sr. paved the way for succeeding peace engagements with Moro groups in the following years.

Aside from the signing of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the government and the MNLF, it was also during the term of Ramos that peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front resumed.

Meanwhile, OPAPRU Undersecretary Arnulfo R. Pajarillo and Executive Director Andres S. Aguinaldo, Jr., who offered wreaths on the tombs of the late Presidents Corazon C. Aquino and Benigno Aquino III at the Manila Memorial Park, paid tribute to their staunch peacebuilding efforts.

“This was a testament of [President Cory Aquino’s] maternal courage and unwavering commitment to healing the nation from the wounds of the past and [uniting] the Filipino people,” Pajarillo said.

“President Benigno Aquino III would continue to carry out his mother’s legacy, as it was during his term wherein the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) would be passed,” he added.

In the meantime, OPAPRU Undersecretary Cesar B. Yano, honored Ambassador Yan’s vision of an inclusive peacebuilding process as he laid a wreath on his tomb.

“Ambassador Yan’s holistic approach to fostering peace, which integrates security, economic development, and social justice are at the core of the national government’s peace policy agenda. It is rooted in the belief that peacebuilding must be an inclusive, holistic, and integrated process,” said Yano.

The families of the honorees also expressed their appreciation to OPAPRU for giving recognition to the contributions of their loved ones to the peace process.

“The family of Presidents Corazon C. Aquino and Benigno S. Aquino, III would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity for continuing this tradition of offering wreaths in commemoration of their contributions to the peace process… More than any specific personality, what is being honored by the wreaths offered today is the goal of a just and lasting peace in our country towards which your office has constantly guided,” read a message from the Aquino family. ###