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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos names ex-DILG chief as his new peace adviser

Marcos names ex-DILG chief as his new peace adviser

Published Apr 21, 2026 02:33 pm
Incoming Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Mel Senen Sarmiento
Incoming Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Mel Senen Sarmiento
President Marcos has appointed former Interior and Local Government secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento as the new Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.
Sarmiento will take over the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) after retired military general  Carlito Galvez Jr. stepped down from the post.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro announced Sarmiento's designation in a press briering on Tuesday, April 21.
Sarmiento served as the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) during the time of former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.
He is also the chairperson of the Galing Pook Foundation.
Castro said Sarmiento's appointment "marks a natural progression of the country's peace work," stressing that the process "now enters a phase that calls for civilian leadership."
"With security and normalization milestones largely in place, the process now enters a phase that calls for civilian leadership—centered on reconciliation, local governance, and socio-economic reintegration," Castro said.
"This is especially vital in the Bangsamoro as it moves toward its first parliamentary elections and the full realization of the Comprehensive Agreement," she added.
Castro further said Sarmiento's background in local government and public administration "equips him well for the task."
The Palace official also stressed that the administration reaffirms its abiding commitment to a just and lasting peace.
Palace also calls on all peace partners to stand with Sarmiento as he takes up a "vital work."
In a statement on Tuesday, Galvez announced his retirement as President Marcos' peace adviser and disclosed that he will attend to his wife's health and devote himself to his family.
"​I shall step down from public office after forty-six years of unbroken service to our nation. This decision is borne of a personal necessity to attend to the health of my wife, and to devote myself to my family—a commitment that is, perhaps, long overdue," Galvez said.
Galvez said his journey in public service "has been the greatest honor of my life."
Galvez was the 50th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and has held various capacities such as the Presidential Peace Adviser, chief implementer of the National Task Force Against Covid-19, vaccine czar, and Officer-in-Charge of the Department of National Defense (DND).
​"I wish to express my profound gratitude to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. for his unwavering trust and for the opportunity to serve the Filipino people. I am deeply honored to President Marcos for extending my tenure, allowing me the continuity to see our shared peace initiatives through to this chapter," Galvez expressed. 
Marcos also conveyed his gratitude to Galvez for leading the OPAPRU, particularly in advancing the implementation of signed agreements and sustaining the gains of the Bangsamoro transition.
"His contributions—first as a soldier and later as a peace negotiator and adviser—reflect a lifetime of service to the Republic, and the nation owes him a profound debt," Marcos said. 

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