As the year comes to a close, I find myself looking back on what we have accomplished as a nation in pushing forward the comprehensive Philippine peace process. As peacebuilders, we measure the impact of our work in trust gained, lives transformed, and promises delivered.

This year was a major turning point. We faced a critical period in the Bangsamoro, pressed on to address the needs of former rebels, and continued to deliver the dividends of peace to our brothers and sisters in the Cordillera and the Visayas.

Our peace journey was filled with many challenges. For one, the postponement of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) tested the regional government’s resolve.

This development could have negated the gains we have achieved in the Bangsamoro over the past several years. However, the BARMM government demonstrated a high level of maturity that enabled it to press forward and still effectively carry out the affairs of governance.

Inspired by the unwavering commitment of the Bangsamoro leadership, the national government accelerated the implementation of the Normalization Program for Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members, their families and communities.

Under the Localizing Normalization Implementation (LNI), we strengthened our partnerships with provincial local government units, empowering them to take the lead in implementing peace and development initiatives in their respective areas.

Through the LNI, we were also able to boost the implementation of our Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Management Program and heightened the peacekeeping interventions of the National Task Force on the Disbandment of Private Armed Groups (NTF-DPAGs).

Under our expanded Education Assistance Program (EAP), the next-of-kin of former MILF combatants are now pursuing their dream of acquiring a college education and building a better future for themselves and their families.

This December, we launched the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation (TJR) in the MILF’s Camp Darapanan in Maguindanao del Norte, symbolizing the national and BARMM government’s determination to heal the wounds of the past.

Also this month, the Government of the Philippines and MILF Peace Implementing Panels, together with the International Contact (ICG) and their Malaysian facilitator, held its 37th meeting, demonstrating both parties’ “jointness” to sustain the gains of peace.

Under our peace process with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), we fast-tracked the validation, verification, and socio-economic profiling of MNLF combatants in the provinces of Sulu, Basilan, and Maguindanao.

MNLF members who have undergone these processes will now be able to receive much-needed socioeconomic assistance that would enable them and their families to earn sustainable incomes and uplift their standard of living.

Under our peace processes with the Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA) and Kapatiran (formerly RPM-P/RPA/ABB), we are on the verge of reaching a historic completion.

The amazing transformation of these former guerrillas into agents of peace and developments are concrete proof that the national government shall deliver on its promise of building a better life for those who choose to walk the path of peace.

Under our peace process with the communist group, we focused on ramping up the implementation of our Localized Peace Engagements (LPE) and its Transformation Program throughout the country.

In collaboration with provincial governments, we started the implementation of Transformation Program plans as well as established more Peace and Development Centers that are now helping to address the needs of former rebels, their families and communities.

Through our Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) Program and Social Healing and Peace Program, we are building much-needed infrastructure and healing the social fabric of communities that have been torn by violence and conflict.

Furthermore, we strengthened our partnerships with the academe, religious sector and civil society in line with our efforts to mainstream and integrate peace education across all levels of the nation’s education curriculum.

And with the launching of our Philippine Peace Institute (PPI) this year, we will now be able to fill in the gaps in peace research and institutional knowledge, helping to guide the government’s peace policy agenda and programs

Across all of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) peacebuilding interventions, we are driven by our mandate of bringing a just and lasting peace to our nation.

As we gear up for 2026, I am optimistic that our country’s comprehensive peace process will continue to gain momentum, as the Bangsamoro gears up for its first parliamentary elections and as we seek to finally put an end to the decades-long communist insurgency.

Amid all these challenges, I believe that momentum is on our side, as 2025 proved to be the year that the Philippine peace process demonstrated a remarkable resilience and the capacity to forge ahead.

To all our peace partners and fellow peace builders, thank you for your unwavering support. Let us all continue to work hand in hand in building a more peaceful, progressive and united Bagong Pilipinas in 2026.