Duterte signs EO renaming OPAPP

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has issued Executive Order 158, which formalizes the transition of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).

The EO, signed by Duterte on Dec. 27, authorizes a sitting president to “provide overall policy direction in the conduct of the comprehensive peace process.”

It also allows the president to appoint an adviser on peace, reconciliation and unity with Cabinet rank.

“The presidential adviser on peace, reconciliation and unity shall manage, direct, integrate and supervise in behalf of the President all aspects of the comprehensive peace process including initiatives that promote and reinforce national reconciliation and unity,” the EO read.

EO 158 repealed EOs 125 and 03, which provide for a systematic approach to peace, the key principles of the comprehensive peace process and the establishment of the OPAPP.

Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. thanked the President for signing EO 158.

“We are grateful to President Duterte for supporting OPAPP’s bid to make the transition to OPAPRU. This is a major milestone for our agency as it continues to push forward and sustain the gains of the comprehensive peace process,” Galvez said.

“Beyond its new name, our office would like to demonstrate that as it transforms the lives of its beneficiaries – former combatants, their families and their communities – it is also transforming itself as an organization,” he said.