MALACANANG has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to support the Cordillera Administrative Region’s (CAR) pursuit of peace and development.
Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, cited the government’s dedication to implementing peace programs and fostering progress, in remarks during the 38th anniversary celebration of the Mt. Data Sipat Peace Accord.
This agreement, signed on Sept. 13, 1986, ended a long-standing conflict leading to the creation of CAR through Executive Order No. 220 in 1987.
“The national government remains steadfast in its efforts to support our Cordilleran brothers and sisters’ continued march towards long-lasting peace and sustainable development through the implementation of various peace programs, projects, and activities,” Galvez said.
It has been almost four decades since the government, under the administration of then President Corazon Aquino, and the Cordillera insurgency movement led by Fr. Conrado Balweg, heeded the call for peace that paved the way to the signing of a ceasefire agreement on Sept. 13, 1986.