Galvez bats for the creation of ‘Department of Peace’

Presidential Peace Adviser  Carlito Galvez Jr. on Monday, February 6, 2023 attends the Senate public hearing of the Higher, Technical and Vocational Education Subcommittee on several bills mandating higher education students to undergo Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. (File photo from VOLTAIRE F. DOMINGO /Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — A ‘Department of Peace’ should be created to carry on the gains made after the forging of peace deals with rebel groups, according to Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr.

Galvez, chief of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), said this proposed department will replace the agency he currently heads.

“We saw the best practices of other countries. They really have ministries or departments of peace,” Galvez said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Turning OPAPRU into the Department of Peace will bring about the effective implementation of government policies, the official said.

Galvez follows a similar suggestion of another cabinet member to rebrand a government agency.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa proposed that his office be renamed “Department of Health and Wellness.”

But Galvez’ proposal goes beyond the change of name.

The move to transform OPAPRU into a department with a new name also aims to address the security of tenure and career advancement of its personnel, he said.

Under the agency’s current set-up, Galvez explained that the majority of OPAPRU personnel hold contractual positions only.

“It shall contribute to the promotion of peace that is not merely a fleeting priority or an ad hoc approach, but rather a sustained and consistent effort of the government,” Galvez said.

Formerly known as the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the OPAPRU was officially launched by virtue of Executive Order 158 signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in December 2021.

OPAPRU is in charge of handling peace talks and negotiations related to the Maoist insurgency and Islamic rebellion in the country.

READ: Galvez says gov’t to finish process of disarming MILF fighters before 2025

Last year, Maoists’ political arm, National Democratic Front of the Philippines, began its negotiation with the government to come up with a framework to restart the peace talks, led by OPAPRU.

OPAPRU also played a crucial role in the passage and ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that was sealed after the peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

BOL gave birth to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which gave its inhabitants more autonomy and representation.

The decommissioning process of the MILF is also ongoing and is targeted to be finished by the end of 2025.