PASAY CITY (30 September 2022) – The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) launched its Gawad Kapayapaan or Peace Awards Project as the celebration of National Peace Consciousness Month culminated on Friday.

Budget and Management Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, who graced the event as guest of honor, lauded this year’s Peace Month chosen theme, “Pagkakaisa at Paghilom: Isang Bansa Para sa Kapayapaan.

“This excellent theme encapsulates the vision we have for the Philippines. From our years as a colony, then a commonwealth and now a sovereign republic. Filipino have always wanted peace,” Pangandaman said.

“In an archipelagic country like ours, with our different culture and languages, it can be challenging to achieve unity but is not impossible. We have always heard of unity amidst diversity and we know that this has been the case for the Philippines,” she added.

Gawad Kapayapaan Project

The Gawad Kapayapaan Project is envisioned to be the country’s premier award to recognize the major contribution that individuals, institutions, and organizations have made in moving forward the comprehensive Philippine peace process.

It aims to recognize selected peace advocates, champions and exemplars for the critical role they have played in achieving peace in the country, and highlight the accomplishments, milestones, and innovative peacebuilding programs that have been carried out in building on the gains of the comprehensive peace process.

The peace awards project also aims to set standards and present good peacebuilding practices that can be replicated and sustained, as well as build, nurture and expand a peace constituency that will sustain a culture of peace and advance the national government’s peace agenda.

The official Gawad Kapayapaan trophy was also unveiled during the event. It was designed by Zamboanga-based multimedia artist Rameer Amilasan Tawasil.

Born in Sulu, Tawasil grew up witnessing the armed conflict in his hometown. His experiences are reflected in the bright and colorful paintings which depict the rich culture of his people, as well as the harsh realities in his province and Mindanao.

According to Tawasil, the trophy’s design, which is represented by a dove in an Ukkil pattern, “highlights the symbol of peace. This also emphasizes the traditional Moro art in Mindanao.”

“The design embodies the messages of peace, unity, reconciliation with contemporary or modern art,” he added.

During the event, the OPAPRU also honored the late former President Fidel V. Ramos, the late COMELEC Commissioner Atty. Haydee Yorac, and the late Ambassador Manuel T. Yan Sr. for their invaluable contribution to the Philippine peace process.

Support for peace, reconciliation and unity, and the Bangsamoro region

Meanwhile, Pangandaman lauded the recent coming together of two major Moro fronts in the Bangsamoro region.

“We have seen a recent illustration of unity between the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) Founder Nur Misuari, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, and MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) Chairman Ahod Balawag Ebrahim during the ceremonial opening of the region’s parliament in Cotabato City,” she said.

“Healing or paghilom is also essential to peace, the warm welcome of the Bangsamoro government leaders of President Marcos carries so much weight. It is a milestone that signifies stronger cooperation between the national government and the autonomous government,” Pangandaman added.

The DBM chief said she is confident the partnership between the national and the BARMM governments will continue to strengthen.

“I believe that the rest of the Philippines and BARMM can grow together as two governments work in support of each other towards a common goal – to provide better living conditions for every Filipino,” she said.

With the recent milestones achieved in the Bangsamoro peace process, Pangandaman expressed her department’s full support to the national government’s call for peace, reconciliation and unity.

“I am happy to say that at this point in our history, we can proudly say that we have achieved peace. And we’re determined to help in the achievement of our call for peace, reconciliation and unity to achieve a just and lasting peace for the nation and all Filipinos,” she said.

According to Pangandaman, the DBM has allocated additional funds for the implementation of the Normalization Program in the Bangsamoro for 2023.

“Additionally, in the 2023 proposed national budget, we allocated a sum of money for the Normalization Program in Bangsamoro and an amount for the provision of socioeconomic development assistance for former MNLF combatants. This is on top of 7.4 billion allocation for BARMM,” she said.

“We want to see a BARMM that is thriving, a Mindanao that shines as a land of promise. Over the past decades, we knew that Mindanao holds so many seeds of success and we saw these seeds germinate particularly in the agriculture and tourism sector but we haven’t seen the fruits yet,” Pangandaman reported.

“For many years, the promise of fruitfulness has been obscured because of conflict. But now we have achieved peace, certainly, we’ll have one fruit coming after another and all of our people will reap its goodness,” she added.

Ways forward for the country’s peace process

In his message, Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Sec. Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. identified the interventions the OPAPRU will continue to carry out in order to sustain the gains of the comprehensive Philippine peace process.

These include efforts to cultivate a Culture of Peace through Peace Education Mainstreaming and interfaith/interfaith dialogue; multi-level implementation of the National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security as well as Youth, Peace and Security; expand  the Transformation Program to sustain the gains of the Local Peace Engagement; and expand and diversify the membership of the different Peace Implementing Panels.

“We are not only addressing the issues of the women and youth but also harnessing their capacities as peacebuilders,” Galvez said.

“The expanded Transformation Program aims to support the positive impact of local peace engagement, as well as fast track the transition of former combatants into peaceful and productive citizens,” he added.

Galvez also affirmed the agency’s strong support to the Bangsamoro peace process.

“The OPAPRU also commits to support the enactment of priority codes by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and enhance governance and coordination between the National Government and BARMM Government, accelerate socioeconomic interventions for the transformation of 33 barangays of the six previously acknowledged MILF camps and five priority barangays in Sulu.”

The peace adviser likewise threw his full support behind President Marcos’ Jr. call among UN member states for the Philippines’ candidature to the Security Council for the period  2027 to 2028 by, “telling the world our formidable experience on the country’s comprehensive peace process.”

The Gawad Kapayapaan Project launching was attended by representatives of national government agencies; former revolutionary leaders and their families; active and retired military officials; and members of the diplomatic corps and peace advocates. ###