It's the budget season once again, a period of intensive review where government agencies, including the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), must present and defend our appropriations before the legislature. This annual exercise is more than just a fiscal obligation; it is a profound opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to national stability and to secure the future of the Filipino people. This year, I am profoundly grateful to announce a significant milestone: both houses of Congress have decisively moved to approve the OPAPRU's peace budget of over P7.28 billion for Fiscal Year 2026 at the committee and plenary levels, respectively.

The proposed ₱7.28 billion peace budget is not merely an expense; it is a vital, transformative investment in the nation’s future. It is the lifeblood that will turn signed peace agreements into lasting, irreversible realities on the ground, echoing the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. that "there shall be no more recurrence, no more resurgence, and no relapse of violence."

This funding is absolutely critical for the continued rollout of our comprehensive peace initiatives and the sustained implementation of peace agreements across all five peace tables we manage: the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Cordillera Bodong Administration - Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA), the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa - Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPM-P/RPA/ABB), and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

The main focus of OPAPRU remains a holistic approach to transforming former combatants and their communities, integrating them as peaceful and productive members of society, and rehabilitating conflict-prone areas into resilient ones. This budget ensures the continuation of key peacebuilding programs, particularly the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) Program and the work of the Social Healing and Peacebuilding Office (SHAPEO).

The PAMANA Program, the government’s national framework for peace and development in conflict-affected areas, is the most crucial component of our budget. We are immensely grateful to the Department of Budget and Management for restoring ₱5.3 billion for critical PAMANA projects—approximately 72 percent of our entire budget. This restoration ensures that we can deliver the most vital socio-economic interventions using conflict-sensitive and peace-promoting lens, bring back basic government services, and promote economic development in areas long affected by conflict and neglect, thereby fulfilling our commitment to ensure changed lives and transformed communities.

I extend my profound and sincerest gratitude to the members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives for their decisive support for our peace budget. By passing this appropriation, they have sent a powerful, unified message: peace is not an option, but a national priority.

In the Senate, the budget's approval at the committee level was championed by the Senate Finance Subcommittee “E,” led by its chair, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. Senator Dela Rosa lauded OPAPRU for its continued faithful implementation of all signed peace agreements and for safeguarding the gains of the peace process.

We are also particularly thankful to Senator Sherwin Ting Gatchalian and Senator Loren Legarda for their strong expressions of support. Senator Gatchalian eloquently stated that "Allocating funds to promote peace is cheaper than buying bullets," underscoring the long-term economic and human wisdom of our programs. He vowed to push for an additional budget, particularly to finance educational assistance for the children of former combatants, an initiative Senator Dela Rosa also fervently supported, stressing that while other sectors may be included, priority must be given to combatants' children. This educational assistance is a cornerstone of our sustainability effort, which includes embedding Peace Education in the country’s basic and higher educational systems, based on the principle that "Conflict is natural, but violence is not. In all conflicts, there should be a peaceful resolution."

Senator Legarda, for her part, expressed her confidence in the leadership of OPAPRU in implementing the Philippine Comprehensive Peace Process. Furthermore, she highlighted the critical need to pass a law establishing the National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission for Bangsamoro. This body, part of the Normalization Track, is essential to address victims' rights, including truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence, and will offer mechanisms for truth-telling and institutional reform.

Similarly, in the House of Representatives, the unanimous approval in plenary was secured thanks to the dedicated efforts of our legislators and the budget sponsor, Congresswoman Mercedes Alvarez of the 6th District of Negros Occidental. I extended my sincerest gratitude to the Congresswoman for her leadership, which ensured the budget was approved as absolutely critical in moving forward the country’s comprehensive peace process.

The ₱7.28 billion peace budget is more than just funding programs for today; it is an investment for sustainable peace of the entire nation. It enables us to continue the transformative process of creating an environment where development can take root, where insurgency is driven away by the visible and felt reach of the government, and where the irreversible gains of peace are protected for generations to come.

As we move forward, we call upon the sustained support of the entire legislature as we continue to provide updates on the various peace tables. Their belief in our mission, demonstrated by the approval of this budget, empowers us to continue our tireless work, ensuring that peace remains the bedrock upon which a prosperous and united Philippines is built.