BAGUIO CITY (PIA) - - The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) and the city government of Baguio forged a partnership for the establishment of a  peace and development center in the city of Pines.
 
OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez and Mayor Benjamin Magalong led the signing of memorandum of agreement and  groundbreaking at the building site along Upper Session Road here on  February 16.
 
 Under the partnership, the city government provided the  parcel of land where the center will rise, while the OPAPRU allotted P50 million from its Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan or PAMANA program for the building construction.

When completed, the center will be jointly managed by the city government and OPAPRU. It will serve as hub for peace and development efforts, not only for Baguio but also for the Cordillera provinces.
 
Galvez expressed gratitude to the city officials for the steadfast support to OPAPRU’s peace building efforts.
 
“We gather here today, shovels in hand, as we do the groundbreaking for the peace and development center. The land where we stand right now holds dear to all of us,  who dedicated our life to promoting a culture of peace, particularly here in Cordillera, ” Galvez said.

“The peace and development center shall serve as a concrete symbol of the OPAPRU’s recognition of the Cordillera Administrative Region’s  key role in peace building that is deeply - rooted in its rich culture and tradition,” he added.

 

Galvez also shared that through the center, OPAPRU will ensure that all local peace and development efforts will be well  promoted, coordinated, and supported  through collaboration with other stakeholders in the region.
 
“This center will not only house OPAPRU’s personnel and activities, but more importantly it will enable our office to make its presence more felt in the region,” Galvez said.

The OPAPRU approved almost P600 million PAMANA projects for the Cordillera, and that P1 billion worth of projects are  being eyed for next year.

Magalong affirmed a stronger partnership and collaboration with OPAPRU which will not only benefit Baguio City but the whole of Cordillera. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)