The Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPRU) have joined forces to effectively convey the peace agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In his speech, OPAPRU Undersecretary Wilben Mayor said President Marcos has demonstrated his strong determination in fulfilling his vision to stop all forms of internal armed conflict during his term.
He said President Marcos’ message can only be achieved through the unified efforts of the government’s communications arm.
“That is why we – the PCO, PIA and OPAPRU – have joined forces so that we can strengthen, integrate and amplify the Marcos administration’s peace-building efforts,” Mayor said in his opening remarks during the “PCO-OPAPRU-PIA Orientation and Workshop for Localized Peace Engagements and its Transformation Program.
PCO Assistant Secretary Michel André Del Rosario emphasized that the joint efforts of the PCO, the PIA and the OPAPRU is important for the Marcos administration to inform the Filipinos about the government’s peace initiatives towards a “Bagong Pilipinas.”
Del Rosario said the President’s commitment to achieve a long-lasting peace is evident with his recent visits to Mindanao. “He’s very involved, and he’s very keen on having things done. In this peace engagements natin, and hopefully, we sa PCO, sa PIA and other agencies I mentioned, we can help him hopefully move to go
forward and hopefully achieve that long game of justice and lasting peace,” Del Rosario said.
In November last year, President Marcos tasked Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Lagdameo and Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Carlito Galvez Jr. to represent the national government in signing the Oslo Joint Communique with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
The Oslo Joint Communique is a major milestone in the Philippine peace process, signaling a fresh start of peace talks aimed at showing the government’s sincerity to talk peace and encourage members of the communist group to completely abandon armed struggle and play a key role in addressing the root causes of conflict. PND
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