(File photo) MANILA - The 50 survivors of the twin blasts that rocked the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in January 2019 are now slowly recovering and rebuilding their lives through psychosocial healing sessions by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU). "Three years after the harrowing incident, 50 of the victims are now on the way to recovery and rebuilding their lives with the aid of psychosocial healing sessions conducted by the OPAPRU," the OPAPRU said in a statement on Tuesday. The OPAPRU, through its Social Healing and Peacebuilding Office (SHAPEO), partnered with the Notre Dame of Jolo College to capacitate 25 local counselors and carry out 10 healing sessions among the blast victims. "Sa halos dalawang taon na ang nagdaan, ako ay puno ng galit, takot, pagkamuhi sa mga salarin pagtago sa sarili, hindi nagsisimba, malungkot at naawa sa sarili dahil pasan ko ang sakit at nagka-trauma ng biktima ng twin bombing sa c
(PNA file photo) MANILA - The government is looking into the formulation of a healing and reconciliation framework for indigenous peoples (IPs) to further boost the local peace engagements and interventions nationwide. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Wednesday said the framework will be divided into five phases including Trust-Building and Acceptance; Mainstreaming Systemic Conflict-Transformation; Implementing a Conflict-Sensitive and Peace-Promoting Results Framework; Learning Together; and Empowerment of Indigenous Peoples. The creation of the framework, spearheaded by the OPAPRU, primarily aims to highlight the "inclusive and collaborative approach" in addressing issues concerning the IP communities as well as the transformation program for former members of the communist terrorist groups (CTGs). Rowena Lopez, acting head of OPAPRU's Policy, Governance and Strategic Planning Service (PGSPS), in a statement, sai
(Photo courtesy of OPAPRU) MANILA-Some 71 Bangsamoro teachers have completed the month-long peace conversations, capability enhancement sessions, and education workshops to effectively communicate the "Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together" within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and its peripheral areas. In a social media post on Friday afternoon, the Office of the Presidential Adviser of Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said the recently concluded training was part of its efforts to promote the document to educators from different learning institutions such as madaris (Islamic schools) and Catholic schools in BARMM and its neighboring areas. OPAPRU-Social Healing and Peace-building Department (SHAPED) Director Vanessa Pallarco said the government wants to help develop strategies and adopt insights into raising Bangsamoro children with good and moral values. "It is our hope that our educators can help us cham
FRUITFUL MEETING. Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (front, left) meets with local officials and top brass of the 11th Infantry Division to discuss their gains in Jolo, Sulu on Thursday (March 17, 2022). President Rodrigo Duterte previously said he will be leaving the presidency with a relatively peaceful Mindanao. (Photo courtesy of OPAPRU) JOLO, Sulu - The security situation in this island province has significantly improved over the years, creating an environment where all sectors can closely work together to help transform Moro combatants, their families, and communities, according to Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. President Rodrigo Duterte likewise commended the good relationship between the national government and the Moro rebels in Mindanao. "This harmonious relationship paved the way for the implementation of the signed peace agreements with the Moro rebel organizations
RETURNEES. Forty-one members of the Kasigudan Aywanan Takderan Binangon di Kabunyan Organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front pledge their allegiance to the government at Bunga National School in Tadian, Mountain Province on Sunday (Jan. 30, 2022). The Philippine Army credits localized peace engagement involving government troops and local government units for the surrender. (Photo courtesy of Kalinaw News) MANILA - The government has not terminated its peace negotiation process with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). Instead, it shifted to the more effective local peace engagement. Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Undersecretary Wilben Mayor said the push for a localized peace engagement (LPE), through a whole-of-nation approach, has been efficient in resolving the long-standing armed revolution pushed by communist