PASIG CITY, September 2, 2018 – The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and partner advocates all over the country are leading the celebration of National Peace Consciousness Month this September. (more…)
MARILOG DISTRICT, Davao City (August 25, 2018) — Around a thousand members of the Matigsalug tribe are expected to gather at a local infirmary here tomorrow to avail themselves of free health and social services offered by government and private sector institutions. (more…)
MANILA, April 27, 2018 – Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus G. Dureza showcased the inclusive approach of the government in peacebuilding during a briefing with the Filipino community at the Philippine Consulate in New York City yesterday. (more…)
MANILA, April 25 2018 – Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus G. Dureza highlighted the peacebuilding efforts of the Philippine government as he spoke before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York City today. (more…)
DAVAO CITY—“Fire the gun only when it is necessary. But keep it quiet when there is a way to peacefully engage them.”
This was the challenge given by Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus G. Dureza to the men and women of the 3rd Infantry Battalion, 7th infantry Division, in his remarks during the commemoration of the unit’s 45th Founding Anniversary held at their headquarters here.
In referring to rebels who have expressed their desire to lay down their arms and live peaceful, productive lives, Sec. Dureza advised members of the 3rd ID to give the rebels a chance to reform themselves.
He pointed out that the main objective of the security sector is not to engage the insurgents in armed battles, but “to accept them” and help them make the transition to mainstream society.
Sec. Dureza said he had adopted this mindset after being instructed by President Rodrigo Duterte to “talk across the tables” in order to find a long-lasting solution to the armed conflict in the country.
As the national government’s top peace negotiator, he has told the leadership of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), “You are only a small table. The bigger table is the general public.”
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process has established various “peace tables” which aim to provide a venue for stakeholders to discuss pressing peace-related issues and come up with recommendations on how to best address them.
According to the presidential peace adviser, there is a need to use a “community-based approach” in dealing with the insurgency problem in the country.
During a recent visit he made in Brgy. Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte to inaugurate a Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) bridge project, he was informed by tribal leaders that the event almost did not push through after they received threats from a rebel group operating there.
But what he found most touching was their assurance that no harm will come to him, as members of the Lumad community had secured the area themselves.
“Don’t worry, we will protect you,” one of the elders told him, as he pointed to village folk who were armed with native weapons.
From his conversations with the village folk, he could sense their strong desire to maintain peace and order and sustain the gains of economic growth in the community.
Sec. Dureza believes in the power of diplomacy in resolving situations of conflict.
He said that through diplomacy, he has been able to effectively carry out talks with the leaders of various rebels groups in the country.
“Use diplomacy,” Sec. Dureza told the members of the 3rd ID, as he urged them to continue being agents of peace and development in the communities they serve.
BUTUAN CITY – Peace advocates from Caraga culminated the Mindanao Week of Peace with renewed calls for peace despite the intensified communist aggression and the looming threat of violent extremism in the region at Big Daddy’s Hotel and Convention Center in Butuan City yesterday.
Spearheaded by the Caraga Conference for Peace and Development and Caraga Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC), this year’s Mindanao Week of Peace celebration focuses on resolving four conflict lines – Criminality, Insurgency, Resource-Based Conflicts and issues and challenges of the Indigenous Peoples (IP), which are identified in the Caraga Roadmap for Peace.
With the theme, “Owning Mindanao History for Peace and Development”, the week-long celebration which started on December 1 featured several activities such as peace forum on countering violent extremism, ecumenical gathering in commemoration of 500-year anniversary of Protestant reformation, IP dialogue, youth summit, and forum on extortion and revolutionary tax.
In her speech, Agusan Del Norte Governor and RPOC-13 Chairman Ma. Angelica Rosedell M. Amante-Matba emphasized the importance of unity in combatting insurgency in the region.
“We in Caraga region are pieces of a puzzle. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Agusan Del Sur, Agusan Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur, Surigao Del Norte or Dinagat Islands … We belong to one region. If we fit the (pieces of the) puzzle, we will be able to create a picture of true peace through cooperation and tolerance,” she said. “Peace has a chance to be achieved. We just need to love our region.”
Meanwhile, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Assistant Secretary Rolando Asuncion stressed the importance of inclusivity in the peace process in his keynote message.
“We at OPAPP recognize the diverseness of the people in Caraga region. We have Muslims, Christians and Lumads coexisting in this melting pot of culture and religion. It is important for us to recognize that our identity as Filipino goes beyond diversity. There are no barriers if we are working for the common good of our nation,” he said.
Asec. Asuncion also echoed Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza’s pronouncement on laying the foundation of social infrastructures to combat violent extremism.
“The prevention of another Marawi begins with social healing and reconciliation. As Secretary Dureza said, ‘build relationships, bring back social cohesion, and mend the torn social fabric brought about by the armed conflict.’
Lastly, the assistant secretary called for Caraganons to bolster the gains of the peace process.
“This year, we have gained so much in our endeavors for peace in Mindanao. Let us all hope to sustain these gains for the incoming year through unity, compassion and inclusivity,” he concluded.
The Mindanao Week of Peace is an annual celebration which started on 2001 through the Proclamation Order No. 127 issued by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to “recognize the common aspirations of Mindanaoans to live in peace, unity and harmony with each other regardless of status in life, religion or culture”. It is held every last Thursday of November up to the first Wednesday of December of every year.
Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus G. Dureza pledged scholarship programs and additional allocation for the PAMANA-Mansalay project for the benefit of the Mangyan tribe in Mindoro.
Dureza briefly interrupted his work in Lanao by flying to Mindoro yesterday and met with local officials and the 7 Mangyan tribes where he also inaugurated a road building project penetrating the interiors of the town of Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, an area where most of the indigenous peoples have settled.
In a dialogue with the indigenous tribe, Dureza committed tertiary scholarships to Mangyan youth, saying that education should be the priority of the Mangyans.
“I asked them what they need and they wanted to improve the education of their children. I committed to immediately increase allocation for our scholars for now. It’s a very specific request so we decided to support on the spot,” Dureza stated.
In addition and as a project proposal, Dureza committed an additional allocation for the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) project, specifically for the municipality of Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro for the development of the indigenous people community situated there.
The PAMANA project is an inter-agency effort of the government, headed by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), to bring development and livelihood initiatives to those situated in conflict-affected areas.
“We need to improve the lives of people. Development is as crucial as peace and should be a simultaneous effort,” said Dureza.
The event was part of the Indigenous People’s (IP) peace table wherein the Duterte administration attains to engage, meet, converse with and hear the concerns, inputs, recommendations of IPs in the country.
The IP peace table, through its leading panel, shall bring, advocate, espouse or present to the GPH Panels the consolidated inputs, issues and concerns, and aspirations of IP communities, as articulated by their leaders, relative to the GRP-NDFP peace process, the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) in the crafting of the enabling law for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), and other agencies for other IP issues and concerns that impact on the peace process.
DAVAO CITY – Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza highlighted relationship-building as part of the youth’s role in doing peace work and urged them to determine ways in which they can contribute to peace in their own localities, during the Youth Peace Table Training in the southern city.
“What we are doing right now is actually not only for the present generation, but it is more importantly for your generation. Don’t wait for us to finish the peace negotiations. Instead, you do it yourselves and you should even take the lead as peace is a work of a lifetime,” Dureza stressed.
The peace secretary underscored the importance of social cohesion for peace and development to be sustained and locally owned by their communities as a counter measure for the violent extremism that is gaining popularity in the young sector.
“These are things that are practically happening now and these are things that you have also to know in looking at the whole spectrum of peace work. Look at your own locality and find out what triggers conflict there and you’ll have to address it there from then,” he challenged.
To recall, the paradigm of the Duterte administration does simultaneous peace and development efforts in order for peace dividends to be felt, thus addressing the need of the bigger peace table – the Filipino people.
“You’ll have therefore to slowly find out how you can bridge that so-called ideological divide. It takes time. It takes a lot of goodwill and takes a lot of building of trust. Thus, these are points that probably the young people who are still going to be doing this work in the ground should always keep in mind and remember, ” Dureza advised.
Dubbed as the “Kilos Kabataan Para sa Kapayapaan”, the three-day workshop provides an avenue for the young delegates to contribute their own inputs, knowledge and expertise on grassroots peace work, as well as capacitating individuals with the culture of peace and engaging them to draft an action plan.
Present in the training are the youth leaders and representatives from various schools and organizations namely the Youth for Peace Network, United Voices for Peace Network, Batang Transformers, Young Educators Convergence of SOCSKARGEN, Zabida-Nagdilab of Basilan, Youth Solidarity for Peace, Supreme Student Council, United Youth Acton Group of Maguindanao, Junior Chamber International, Ateneo de Davao University, National Anti-Poverty Commission’s (NAPC) Youth and Student Sector and the National Youth Commission (NYC).
The workshop is set to run from 15-19 May and is part of the continuing consultation process of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) in its call for a more inclusive and transparent peace process. It was organized in partnership with Miriam College’s Center for Peace Education, Agencia Espanola Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID), together with the Mindanao State University, Teach Peace Build Peace, Gen Peace, NAPC and NYC.
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SURIGAO CITY – Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza called on local officials and leaders of multi-stakeholder groups in Surigao provinces to organize local peace initiatives and strengthen community resilience to conflict in a peacebuilding conversation held here Monday (15 May) in time of the 116th Founding Anniversary of One Surigao.
Dureza visited Surigao City on Monday as part of the series of peacebuilding conversation and engagement with the general public referred to as the bigger peace table.
“People who want peace must fight for peace but do not leave that entirely to our local government officials, police and military forces. Citizens themselves must take the first step already, you must get yourselves organized, “he said in response to the key sectoral issues presented to him at the peace conversation, one of the highlights of Surigao’s foundation anniversary celebration held at the Provincial Gym.
He added that people and communities have the capacities to organize and transform conflict into opportunities for peace and local leaders should be able to strengthen this as a strategic priority for peacebuilding.
The key issues presented were the results of the multi-stakeholder peacebuilding conversation held 11 May in Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte with over 150 representatives of civil society, IP, business sector, mining companies, lines agencies, religious sector and security sectors from all across Surigao.
Surigaonons pointed out major issues that the peace process has to address, among them are peace and security, environmental degradation, lack of livelihood and investment opportunities and need for more basic infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
“Amo untang hangyo sa gobyerno nga unta mapadayun tong panaghisgut sa kalinaw ug kahusay nga diin ang tribung Mamanwa nanag-iya ug nagpuyo sa amoang ancestral domain CADT 48 dinhi sa Surigao (We would like to appeal to the government to pursue peace and security efforts in CADT 48 area where the Mamawa tribe of Surigao live),” said Datu Emeliano Gede, leader of the Mamanwa tribe in Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte, in a dialogue with Secretary Dureza and local officials of Gigaquit.
Members of the Mamanwa tribe said the armed conflict between the NPAs and government security forces has been a major threat to ancestral domains in Surigao. During conflict, IPs are at risk of being killed, injured or tagged as members of the NPA.
Dureza said that the government’s peace work with various rebel groups is being actively pursued, simultaneous with the implementation of development programs and projects in fragile and conflict-affected communities.
“There is no magic formula to the peace process. You have to work for it one step at a time but let us not wait for the signing of the peace agreement as we may already do peace and development work while the peace negotiations is ongoing,” said Dureza.
During the One Surigao anniversary celebration, Secretary Dureza along with Surigao del Norte Governor Sol Matugas and local officials also led the ceremonial unveiling and inauguration of the newly-completed “Tulay sa Kalinaw” LASICAM bridge located in Brgy. Lahi and Sico Sico, Gigaquit.
The Php210M bridge was implemented under the DILG – PAyapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program in Surigao del Norte which provides conflict-affected and conflict-vulnerable communities in Gigaquit better access to social services and economic opportunities.
The One Surigao anniversary event and multi-stakeholder peace conversation in Surigao City was organized by the Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte in partnership with OPAPP, National Commission for Indigenous Peoples Regional Office 13, and Municipal Local Governments of Gigaquit and Claver.
The event gathered local chief executives, including barangay captains of the three provinces – Surigao Del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Island.
Office of the Presidential Adviser
on the Peace, Reconciliation and Unity
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