Sec. Carlito Galvez of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity; Members of the Diplomatic Corps; Families of the Honorees - Former President Fidel V. Ramos, Ambassador Manuel Yan Sr., Commissioner Haydee Yorac, and Fr. Balweg; Chairman Nur Misuari; Former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita; Ambassador Rafael Seguis; Ministers of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and all our peace partners; Government officials; Distinguished guests; and everyone who is here with us tonight, good evening.
Assalamu alaikum. Warahmatullahi Wabaratu. It is an honor for me to be with you here today to speak on the government’s call for peace, reconciliation, and unity—three vital components in any nation. We have seen these during the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic when the former administration declared a ceasefire to ensure the “swift provision of public health assistance… to communities.”[1]
In the year 2007, we witnessed the reconciliation between the MILF and MNLF during the three-day visit of Seif el-Islam el-Qaddafi of Libya.[2] Now, we’re all seated here, united and gathered for National Peace Consciousness Month themed: Pagkakaisa at Paghilom: Isang Bansa Para sa Kapayapaan.
This excellent theme encapsulates the vision we have for the Philippines. From our years as a colony, then a commonwealth, and now a sovereign republic, Filipinos had and have always wanted peace. And so, allow me to discuss the key terms in tonight’s theme. Unity—pagkakaisa—is truly essential to peace. We have seen this in world history. Our former leaders saw the repercussions of World War II and decided that they will do what they can to avoid another world war. That is why we have the United Nations.
In Asia, we established unity in the Southeast region. According to the ASEAN Declaration, the organization represents “the collective will of the nations of Southeast Asia to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation and, through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom and prosperity.”[3] At the national level, the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is a historic win for the whole country. The Mission of the Bangsamoro Government to “ensure the necessary conditions for enduring peace and sustained socio-economic development suitable to the systems of life, needs, and aspirations of its people” gives me confidence in the bright future of the Philippines.
In an archipelagic country like ours, with our different cultures and languages, it can be challenging to achieve unity. But it is not impossible. We have always heard of “unity amidst diversity” and we know that this has been the case in the Philippines.
In fact, we’ve seen a recent illustration of this unity between Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Murad” Ebrahim during the ceremonial opening of the special region’s parliament in Cotabato City.[4]
On a related note, healing—paghilom—is also essential to peace.
As such, the warm welcome of the Bangsamoro government leaders of President Ferdinand Marcos carries so much weight. It is a milestone that signifies even stronger cooperation between the national government and the autonomous government. I believe that the rest of the Philippines and BARMM can grow together as the two governments work in support of each other towards a common goal—to provide better living conditions for every Filipino. With this in mind, I am happy to say that at this point in our history, we can proudly say that we have achieved peace. And we are determined to help in the achievement of our call for peace, reconciliation, and unity to achieve “a just and lasting peace for the nation and for all Filipinos.”[5]
That is why at the Department of Budget and Management, we commit to supporting BARMM in our own way. Recently, I have just gone to the region myself for a capacity-building program on Public Financial Management. This is part of my personal commitment to empower the Bangsamoro community.
Additionally, in the 2023 proposed national budget, we allocated Php 852.9 million for the Normalization Program in Bangsamoro and Php 36.1 million for the provision of socio-economic development assistance for former MNLF combatants. These are on top of the Php 74.4 billion BARMM allocation.
We want to see a BARMM that is thriving, a Mindanao that shines as the land of promise. Over the past decades, we knew that Mindanao holds so many seeds of success and we saw these seeds germinate, particularly in the agriculture and tourism sectors. But we haven’t seen the fruits yet. For many years, the promise of fruitfulness has been obscured because of conflict. But now that we have achieved peace, certainly, we will see one fruit coming out after another. And all our people will reap its goodness.
As a daughter of Mindanao, it is my personal dream to see it thrive. We dream of prosperity for Mindanao and of prosperity for the Philippines. Hence, we crafted a budget anchored in the 8-point socioeconomic agenda of the President which addresses the near-term needs of our people, including food security, accessible healthcare, transportation, and renewable and safe energy. It also facilitates the creation of better conditions to create quality jobs that will foster inclusivity and sustainability. In line with this, we will continue to heavily invest in our agriculture, social services, infrastructure, and the improvement of our governance. I will ensure that this funding will be equitably distributed throughout the Philippines to ensure that no one will be left behind.
To be more specific, we doubled the allocation for the National Rice Program to Php30.55 billion from this year’s Php15.77 billion. We also allocated Php852.8 billion for the education sector, Php185.3 billion for the social welfare department, Php145.4 billion for transportation, and Php12.47 billion for ICT and digitalization programs and projects of the government.
We believe that by solving the pressing concerns of our people and by aligning the structures that need to be reformed, we bring about peace through social justice.
Unity, healing, peace. Let us all be united in seeking peace as we move forward in our agenda for prosperity for the region.
Assalamu alaikum. Thank you.
Maraming salamat po.
[1] ABS-CBN News. 2020. “Philippines declares ceasefire with communist rebels amid Luzon lockdown.”
[2] The New York Times. 2007. “Philippine Muslim rebel groups agree to reconcile.”
[3] Association of Southeast Asian Nations. 1997. “The Founding of ASEAN.”
[4] https://www.rappler.com/nation/mindanao/misuari-joins-marcos-jr-ebrahim-display-unity-september-2022/
[5] Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process. 2022.
