DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 3 Sep)—Mayor Sebastian Duterte, who chairs the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC)-Davao, vowed to support the peace initiatives of the national government to preserve the “insurgency-free” status of the region.
Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte during the opening of the National Peace Consciousness Month. Photo courtesy of OPAPRU
In a release issued by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Saturday, Duterte reaffirmed his support for the peace efforts to keep the hard-won peace in Davao City and in the region, both declared as insurgency-free last year.
He assured that the local government of Davao and the RPOC-Davao would remain “steadfast in their commitment to the national government’s peace process and initiatives that uphold the peace we have collectively achieved.”
Duterte and other representatives from the region’s six provinces, civil society organizations, community leaders, and peace advocates graced the opening of the National Peace Consciousness Month last Friday at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in support of the region’s “Peace Agenda.”
Among officials in attendance included Davao de Oro Vice Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy;
Brig. Gen. Consolito P. Yecla, deputy commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command; Maj. Gen. Jose Eriel Niembra, commander of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division; and OPAPRU’s Special Project Team Adviser Joy James Saguino.
The mayor said the gathering was “a symbol of unity and collective responsibility,” emphasizing the importance of getting the participants to work together to sustain peace across the different communities within the region.
The celebration was simultaneously conducted in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, which
President Ferdinand R. Marcos—along with Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.—declared “insurgency-free.”
Lawyer Jonah Margarette Presto, Davao City LGU Peace 911 focal person, urged stakeholders to “remain resolute in their commitment to maintaining peace across the entire Davao Region.”
“In the days ahead, let us all exhibit unwavering drive, passion, and commitment to uphold peace in our city, our region, and our country. For there is no one else who can bestow tranquility upon our nation, but us,” Presto said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
