ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Extensive experience': Adiong hails Sarmiento's appointment as OPAPRU chief

'Extensive experience': Adiong hails Sarmiento's appointment as OPAPRU chief

Published Apr 21, 2026 05:41 pm

At A Glance

  • Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong only has good things to say about the designation of former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento as new Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) chief.
Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (left), OPAPRU chief Mel Senen Sarmiento (Facebook)
Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (left), OPAPRU chief Mel Senen Sarmiento (Facebook)


Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong only has good things to say about the designation of former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento as new Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) chief.
Adiong, in a statement Tuesday afternoon, April 21, says he welcomes Malacañang's appointment of Sarmiento, who is a former Samar congressman.
"With his extensive experience in public service, local governance, and his proven commitment to inclusive development and community empowerment, I am confident that Secretary Sarmiento will bring fresh energy and effective leadership to the crucial task of advancing lasting peace in Mindanao and across the Philippines," he said.
"I look forward to working closely with him and the entire OPAPRU team to strengthen the gains of the peace process, promote reconciliation, and foster unity among our diverse communities," Adiong said.
"Together, we can build on the foundations already laid and ensure that every Filipino, especially those in conflict-affected areas, benefits from genuine and sustainable peace," the Mindanao lawmaker also said.
Sarmiento served as DILG head honcho during the term of the late former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.
Adiong, a House assistant majority leader, also praised Carlito Galvez Jr., whom Sarmiento replaced over at OPAPRU.
"At the same time, I extend my sincere gratitude to outgoing Presidential Adviser Sec. Carlito G. Galvez Jr. for his dedicated service.
"His leadership was instrumental in advancing the Bangsamoro peace process, particularly in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the normalization track, and the successful transition toward the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)," he said.
"We thank him for his unwavering commitment and wish him continued success in his future endeavors," he further said of Galvez.
"Peace remains a shared responsibility. I reaffirm my full support for all efforts that promote dialogue, healing, and development in the Bangsamoro and beyond," Adiong further said.

Related Tags

Mel Senen Sarmiento OPAPRU Zia Alonto Adiong Carlito G. Galvez Jr
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.