OPAPRU

04/06/2026

🎥 𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗬: 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗛 𝗜𝗡 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 🤝

Speaking before agri-beneficiaries in Camp Abubakar, Peace Adviser Secretary MEL SENEN SARMIENTO calls on stakeholders and beneficiaries to work hand in hand in advancing community development. He emphasized that lasting peace is nurtured through cooperation, mutual support and shared commitment.

04/06/2026

📸 LOOK: Officers of the World Bank Group, led by Country Director for the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei Mr. Zafer Mustafaoglu, paid a courtesy visit to Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Mel Senen S. Sarmiento on Tuesday, June 2 at the OPAPRU Central Office.

During the meeting, Mustafaoglu reaffirmed the World Bank Group’s continued commitment to partnering with OPAPRU as the country prepares for the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections in September.

The World Bank Group actively supports the Bangsamoro peace process through its participating in the Mindanao Trust Fund Steering Committee, co-chaired by OPAPRU and the Bangsamoro Development Agency, as well as through the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund, both of which aim to sustain peacebuilding and development in the region.

04/06/2026

📸 LOOK: Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary MEL SENEN SARMIENTO met with Mr. Simon Bakker, Chief Executive Officer of the Kennemer Group on Tuesday, June 2 to discuss potential areas of collaboration between OPAPRU and the agribusiness organization.

The meeting focused on opportunities to strengthen partnerships in support of inclusive development, sustainable livelihoods, and peacebuilding initiatives, particularly as the Kennemer Group looks to expand its investments in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The Kennemer Group is one of OPAPRU’s private sector partners, supporting inclusive development, sustainable livelihoods, and peacebuilding efforts in communities where its programs align with the peace agency’s post-conflict priorities.

04/06/2026

04/06/2026

𝗗𝗢𝗘, 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗼

To ensure energy security and expand the people’s access to electricity in the Bangsamoro region, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE) have joined forces to promote energy efficiency, conservation, and accelerate electrification across the region.

📌 See story in comments.

04/06/2026

PPI Policy Brief Series | 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The Philippine Peace Institute (PPI), in partnership with Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), presents its latest Policy Brief: “The Case for a National Assessment of Peace Education Competencies in Philippine Higher Education.”

While peace education has gained significant institutional support in the Philippines, a national framework for assessing peace education competencies among students and educators remains absent.

This policy brief highlights the need for a systematic national assessment to establish competency baselines, strengthen programs, and advance evidence-based peacebuilding through higher education.

📥 Download and read the full policy brief today:
https://bit.ly/PPIPolicyBriefSeries3

04/06/2026

𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴.

This week’s concept:
𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗮 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆?
Peace is not only built through peace agreements—it is also cultivated through education.

Signed on 26 September 2006, Executive Order (EO) No. 570 institutionalized Peace Education in Basic and Teacher Education, recognizing that peace can be learned, practiced, and nurtured through the educational system.

𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗢 𝟱𝟳𝟬, 𝘀. 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟲
Under the Implementing Guidelines of EO 570, peace education is defined as “𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯; 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺; 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦.”

Despite implementation challenges, EO 570 remains a pioneering policy that has influenced schools, universities, and other learning institutions to integrate peace education into their curricula, programs, and activities.

𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
EO 570 was recognized as a finalist in the 2024 World Future Policy Award, highlighting its contribution to promoting peace, non-violence, and human rights through education.

This year, the EO 570 Executive Committee reconvened for the first time in fifteen years, bringing together government agencies, educational institutions, and peace education partners to revitalize efforts toward institutionalizing peace education nationwide.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁:
As EO 570 reminds us, building a culture of peace begins not only at the negotiating table but also in our classrooms, where future generations learn dialogue, respect, empathy, and cooperation.

03/06/2026

📸 𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢𝗦: The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) Philippines led by its Country Representative Mr. Crisostomo S. Bas, Jr. met with Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Mel Senen S. Sarmiento to discuss areas of collaboration under the existing Memorandum of Understanding between the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity and IEP.

The meeting highlighted IEP’s interest in supporting the development of a Philippine Peace Index, which could provide valuable insights and analytical tools to help inform evidence-based policies and programs for conflict resolution, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and sustainable peace in the country. # # #

03/06/2026

📸 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞: The Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) paid courtesy visit led by its Chairperson Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Suat Akgὕn to newly-appointed Presidential Peace Adviser Sec. MEL SENEN SARMIENTO on Tuesday, June 2.

The IDB oversees the decommissioning process, ensuring that it is carried out efficiently and with utmost impartiality and integrity. The body was created by the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the (M**F) negotiating panels as part of the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed in 2014.

It is composed of representatives from the governments of Turkey, Norway, Kingdom of Brunei, as well as local experts nominated by the GPH and the M**F peace panels.

During the meeting, the IDB Chairperson emphasized that the IDB is composed of members from diverse cultural backgrounds who work collaboratively to ensure the smooth implementation of the decommissioning process. The Chairperson also highlighted that the Board has fostered a positive and productive working environment throughout its operations in the country.

Decommissioning is among the key provisions of the Annex on Normalization under its Security Component.

This process aims to help former combatants make the successful transition to mainstream society as peaceful and productive civilians, and transform their areas into progressive and resilient communities. # # #

03/06/2026

🎥 𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗬: The Iranun Development Council gathered leaders, national officials, and community members at the Parang Municipal Gymnasium for the 4th Iranun Peace Festival and General Assembly, celebrating the region's transformation from a conflict zone into an economic corridor.