GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 25 September)— The House of Representatives slashed by almost a third, from P10.4 billion to P7.1 billion, the proposed “peace budget” of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) for fiscal year (FY) 2025, with P2 billion allocated for the peace tables involving the Moro fronts in Mindanao, data from the agency showed.
Secretary Carlito Galvez (2nd from left) greets members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament. MindaNews photo
Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. noted that their 2025 proposed budget is an “investment for peace,” which is crucial in sustaining the transformation of former combatants, their families, and communities, and ensuring the implementation of all signed peace agreements.
He thanked the House under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez for supporting the approval on Monday of OPAPRU’s 2025 budget.
“The approval of our agency’s budget is a validation that the national government’s peace agenda is on the right track and continues to gain momentum. Moreover, it is a vote of confidence in our peacebuilding efforts,” Galvez said in a statement.
“We are determined to maximize every centavo of this allocation to ensure the consistent implementation of the country’s comprehensive peace process,” Galvez vowed.
Lanao del Sur First District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, who serves as vice chair of the Committee of Appropriations, sponsored and defended OPAPRU’s proposed budget.
The Senate will separately scrutinize the agency’s proposed budget.
For FY 2024, the OPAPRU was allocated a budget of P6.9 billion, the bulk of which has been appropriated for projects under its PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) program.
Galvez said that of the agency’s proposed budget for FY 2025, which amounted to P10.4 billion, P7.1 billion was approved under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for FY 2025, or a reduction of 31.73 percent.
Of the approved P7.1 billion, P5.3 billion shall cover critical PAMANA projects to sustain the momentum of what has been started in 2024, OPAPRU said.
The PAMANA projects account for over 74 percent of the OPAPRU’s 2025 NEP, it added.
The breakdown of OPAPRU’s budget for the different peace tables are: Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) – P1.4 billion, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) – P600 million, Local Peace Engagements (LPE) and Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) – P1 billion, Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPM-P/RPA/ABB) – P550 million, and Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA) – P570 million.
With P5 billion of OPAPRU’s total budget next year allocated for PAMANA infrastructure projects, there has been a notable increase in the number of proposed projects, jumping from 124 for the current year to 260 for 2025.
PAMANA projects that are in the pipeline for next year will cover 15 regions, 47 provinces, and 120 municipalities across the country, OPAPRU said.
Of the 260 projects lined up for 2025, a majority of them are road development, agricultural productivity support, water systems, community-level infrastructure projects, electrification, social protection, educational subsidies, and sustainable livelihood programs.
At least 99 projects will be carried out under the GPH-MILF peace process, 58 under the GPH-MNLF peace agreement, 40 for CPP/NPA/NDF-affected areas and under localized peace engagements, and 63 for the completion of agreements with the RPM-P/RPA/ABB and CBA-CPLA.
According to Galvez, the OPAPRU is guided by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to pursue a principled and peaceful resolution to all internal armed conflicts in the country “with neither blame nor surrender, but with dignity for all.”
“The approval of the peace budget is a significant milestone in our journey towards a more just, peaceful, and equitable society,” Galvez emphasized. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
