The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) welcomes the issuance of Memorandum Circular No. 83 by the Office of the President, which formally adopts the National Action Plan on Peace, Unity, and Development (NAP-UPD) 2025-2028.
The national government’s adoption of NAP-UPD is another major milestone in pushing forward, building on, and sustaining the gains achieved under the comprehensive Philippine peace process. In particular, it will be crucial in finally putting an end to the decades-long communist insurgency in the country.
The action plan will further advance the work of the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and its 12 sub-clusters to implement their interventions using a “Whole-of-Nation,” “Whole-of-Society” approach in dealing with the challenges brought about by the armed rebellion.
As the strategic blueprint harmonizing diverse governmental programs and other initiatives focused on peace and development, the NAP-UPD ensures that various line agencies, particularly those involved in localized peace efforts, will continue to work together – and at a deeper level – under a shared vision and set of objectives.
As co-chair of the NTF-ELCAC’s Local Peace Engagement (LPE) and E-CLIP and Amnesty Program Clusters, the OPAPRU believes that the action plan will enable the agency to effectively carry out all of its peacebuilding interventions under its LPE and Transformation Programs.
Through the action plan, we will be able to ramp up our efforts to capacitate and empower our local government units across the country so that they will be able take a more direct, proactive and ownership-driven approach in the implementation of interventions under our LPE and Transformation Programs.
Moreover, the NAP-UPD will enable the national government to expedite the processing of the applications for amnesty of former Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front members who have laid down their arms and returned to the folds of the law.
Finally, with the adoption of NAP-UPD, the national government is demonstrating its unwavering commitment to upholding the peace process and sending a clear and strong message – that it is not leaving any stone unturned in order to achieve its quest to bring a just and long-lasting peace to all Filipinos.
