Charter is ‘paramount basis’

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) would like to make some clarifications on Fr. Jun Mercado’s article “Real score: Are Charter changes needed?” (Front Page, 7/20/14).

First, with regard to OPAPP’s receipt of additional allotments from the Disbursement

Acceleration Program (DAP), kindly note that:

• In the report of the Department of Budget and Management, item 28 (not 21 as the

article cited) indicated that the OPAPP received in 2011 an allotment amounting to P1.819 billion; and

• Item 104 (not 36 as the article cited) showed that the OPAPP, along with the Department of National Defense-Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), was allotted P745 million; of this amount, P656.7 million was released. The actual amount released to OPAPP as one of the recipient agencies was P248 million.

We would like to clarify that, as stated in the DBM report, the funds were used for priority development projects, not just in the ARMM but also in communities across the country affected by and vulnerable to armed conflicts, as well as in areas covered by existing peace agreements. These included development projects under the Pamana (Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan) program; the implementation of the different components of the peace agreements with former nonstate armed groups; provision of immediate/livelihood assistance to former rebels; capacity-building interventions in support of initiatives addressing women’s issues in situations of armed conflict; and information, communication and monitoring activities in line with the peace process.

On the assertion in Father Mercado’s article that “major strides in the peace process were achieved without reference to the Constitution,” kindly note that we have always affirmed that the Philippine Constitution is the paramount basis for the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. We likewise maintain that the agreements contained in the CAB, which is the basis of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law, can be accommodated within the framework and flexibilities of the Constitution.

The concern of Father Mercado for the welfare of the Bangsamoro is noted, and his efforts to responsibly clarify any misinformation about and misinterpretation of the administration’s programs are also appreciated. As we have told other constituencies who have directly approached the OPAPP to ask for clarifications on the above issues, we welcome and encourage these queries and appreciate the opportunity to engage them directly, as we would Father Mercado.

—JOSE LORENA, undersecretary,

Office of the Presidential Adviser

on the Peace Process