Galvez appointment shows PBBM prefers 'military approach'--Makabayan solon
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro (Screenshot from Zoom)
Makabayan solon ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro has interpreted Malacañang's tapping of Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. as a "clear indication that the government is taking a military approach to resolving the conflict in the country". "The appointment of Galvez means the Marcos Jr. administration does not want the peace process to move forward," Castro, a House deputy minority leader, said in a statement Tuesday, June 27. "We need someone who can facilitate a peaceful dialogue between the government and the revolutionary groups in the country," underscored the militant lawmaker. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. recently designated Galvez as the new Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity. The latter is a former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). "It is clear that the Marcos Jr. administration does not want peace based on justice and addressing the cause of the armed conflict. Instead, they are militarizing the bureaucracy and imposing their militarist mindset on the people," claimed Castro. She also described as "alarming" Marcos’ decision to place retired generals to key positions at the Department of Education (DepEd). These are Ret. Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin and Ret. Brig. Gen. Noel Baluyan, as new undersecretary and assistant secretary for administration, respectively. "It shows the government's intention to militarize the education sector, which is supposed to be a safe space for our children to learn and grow," she said.