Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

On Dec. 4, 2025, I was recognized for my contributions to peace-building during the Founding Anniversary of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which marked the seventh year of advancing the government’s peace and development agenda. Though I was honored, my initial response was actually one of pause, not of pride.

Awards have a way of doing that. They make you look back not only at milestones reached, but at the people and moments that shaped the journey.

And my thoughts drifted to local government leaders who stayed long after consultations had ended. There were civil society members—mostly mothers who shared that water systems are finally reaching their communities, and farmers who spoke of newly paved roads allowing their harvest to reach the market before spoiling.

These are not stories often highlighted in formal reports, yet they are the reason the work matters. For me, the recognition belongs as much to them as it does to any official who served.

As former Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management and as designated Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security, I had the responsibility of presiding over several Joint Regional Task Force (JRTF)-ELCAC meetings in Caraga. The rooms were filled with data, plans, and presentations, but what stood out most was the collective resolve. There was a shared understanding that peace-building should not remain abstract—it had to be felt where people lived.

I recall saying during one meeting that one of Mindanao’s quiet victories was that communities themselves had begun to speak clearly. They no longer wanted insurgency. Peace ceased to be an abstract aspiration and became a conscious choice, made by people who had endured conflict for far too long and were ready to rebuild their lives.

Caraga holds a special place in my heart. As a daughter of Mindanao and a proud Maranao, every engagement there felt deeply personal. When local officials spoke about livelihoods, education, or access to basic services, I could not separate those conversations from my own experiences growing up. Stability opens doors. Opportunity follows. When that happens, lives change. This is when the national budget stops being numbers on a page and begins to serve as an enabler of dignity and hope.

That belief guided much of our work at the DBM, particularly through the Local Government Support Fund–Support to the Barangay Development Program (LGSF- SBDP). Last Fiscal Year 2025, P1.95 billion was allocated to fund infrastructure projects in 780 cleared barangays nationwide, with P430 million directed to Caraga. These resources supported farm-to-market roads, classrooms, water systems, health stations, and electrification projects—basic interventions, perhaps, but long-awaited by many communities.

Based on the latest third-party evaluation conducted by Gawad Kalinga, the impact of the SBDP has been tangible since 2021. Transportation costs for farmers have gone down. Vendors can extend their business hours because of proper lighting. Children now study in safer classrooms, and families have improved access to healthcare. These gains may not always make headlines, but they quietly enhance people’s daily lives.

We also knew that funding alone would not be enough. Trust grows when people see how public resources are managed. That is why, in February 2025, we at the DBM issued Local Budget Circular No. 162 to provide clearer guidelines on fund release and utilization under the General Appropriations Act. Good governance and peace- building, I have learned, are inseparable. Transparency reassures communities that government works with them and for them.

The work of NTF-ELCAC has always been larger than any one office or official. Its Barangay Development Program is set to receive P8.1 billion under the Fiscal Year 2026 National Expenditure Program that we prepared at the DBM. This more than 300-percent increase reflects a shared commitment to reintegration, healing, and inclusive growth for over 800 cleared barangays. And, these are investments not only in infrastructure, but in restoring confidence and opportunity.

I once shared during a meeting that lasting change begins in the heart and the mind. I meant it then, and I hold on to that belief now. Policies open pathways, but peace becomes sustainable only when communities believe they deserve better and when government stands beside them as they claim that future.

The Gawad Parangal recognition conferred during the NTF-ELCAC anniversary is a reminder of our shared responsibility. It honors not just leadership, but collaboration— among national agencies, local governments, civil society, and communities. Peace is built patiently, often quietly, and always together.

And now, as Citizen Mina, I carry these lessons forward.

Beyond budget, this recognition strengthens my resolve to continue advocating for reforms that put people first—where budgets serve as bridges rather than barriers, where governance listens before it leads, and where peace is measured not merely by the absence of conflict, but by the presence of opportunity. When we invest in communities with sincerity and care, we rise together stronger and in peace.