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Galvez out, Sarmiento in as Marcos peace adviser

Article (news)

Jervis Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177674486522820150928-mel-sarmiento-DILG2.jpg" style="width: 960px; display: block; height: auto;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align: left;">Former &nbsp;Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento joins President Benigno S. Aquino III during the 2015 National Assembly of the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (LnB) at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in New Port City Complex, Pasay City on September 28, 2015.<em>&nbsp;Joseph Vidal, Malaca&ntilde;ang Photo Bureau</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA<strong>&nbsp;(3rd UPDATE)&nbsp;</strong>&mdash; Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Sec. Carlito Galvez has stepped down from his post, Malaca&ntilde;ang confirmed Tuesday, adding that former DILG Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento will replace him in the position.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="http://TIMELINE: Gov't, CPP-NPA ceasefire breakdown">&#39;Very optimistic&#39;: Gov&#39;t eyes final peace deal with CPP-NPA within Marcos term</a></div><p>Sarmiento headed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under former President Noynoy Aquino.</p><p>Meanwhile, Galvez served in various vital positions in the military before leading the OPAPRU, including as Unified Commander of all forces during the 5-month Marawi siege in 2017. He was named chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) the next year.</p><p>&quot;The President extends his deepest gratitude to General Galvez for his steadfast leadership of OPAPRU, particularly in advancing the implementation of signed peace agreements and sustaining the gains of the Bangsamoro transition. His contributions, first as a soldier and later as a peace negotiator and adviser, reflect a lifetime of service to the republic, and the nation owes him a profound debt,&quot; the Palace said in a statement.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/focus/02/03/17/factbox-the-philippines-faltering-peace-process-with-communist-rebels">FACTBOX: The Philippines&#39; faltering peace process with communist rebels</a></div><p>Following his retirement from military service, Galvez was appointed in 2018 as then President Rodrigo Duterte&rsquo;s peace adviser. He also served as chief implementer of the National Task Force against COVID-19 from 2020 to 2022 and later as the vaccine czar during the pandemic.&nbsp;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/focus/02/03/17/timeline-govt-cpp-npa-ceasefire-breakdown">TIMELINE: Gov&#39;t, CPP-NPA ceasefire breakdown</a></div><p>Under the Marcos administration, he served as officer-in-charge of the Department of National Defense from January to June 2023 before he was reappointed as peace adviser.</p><p>According to Malaca&ntilde;ang, Sarmiento&#39;s appointment &quot;marks a natural progression of the country&rsquo;s peace work.&quot;</p><p>&quot;With security and normalization milestone largely in place, the process now enters a phase that calls for civilian leadership centered on reconciliation, local governance and socioeconomic reintegration, this is especially vital in the Bangsamoro as it moves toward its first parliamentary elections and the full realization of the comprehensive agreement,&quot; the Palace said.</p><p>&quot;Secretary Sarmiento&#39;s background in local government and public administration equips him well for the task.&quot;</p><div><br></div><div><strong>GALVEZ CONFIRMS RETIREMENT</strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177675041244420230313-marcos-ngcp-nica-moa-signing-JC0898.jpg" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align: left;">President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. speaks with Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez during the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing between the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) at the President&rsquo;s Hall in Malaca&ntilde;ang Palace on March 13, 2023<em>. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em><br></span></span></span></div><p>In a statement, Galvez confirmed his retirement, saying he plans to devote his time to his family.</p><p>&quot;I shall step down from public office after forty-six years of unbroken service to our nation. This decision is borne of a personal necessity to attend to the health of my wife, and to devote myself to my family&mdash;a commitment that is, perhaps, long overdue,&quot; he said.</p><p>Galvez thanked Marcos for his &quot;unwavering trust and for the opportunity to serve the Filipino people.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I am deeply honored to President Marcos for extending my tenure, allowing me the continuity to see our shared peace initiatives through to this chapter,&quot; he said.</p><p>Galvez said that he fully trusts his successor Sarmiento, who &quot;brings with him a distinguished record&quot; in various positions.</p><p>&quot;I transition from this office with full confidence in the future. The Philippine comprehensive peace process is in capable hands... As a champion of good governance and a man of peace, I am certain that under his leadership, our pursuit of a just and lasting peace will reach even greater heights,&quot; Galvez said.</p><div><br></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><strong><br><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qw_taXgQ-Ng?&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ji2LIBjwYQQ?&wmode=opaque&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br></div>

<p>Former Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento is replacing Carlito Galvez as head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), Malacañang said Tuesday.</p>

Former Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento is replacing Carlito Galvez as head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), Malacañang said Tuesday.

Galvez out, Mel Sarmiento in as Marcos peace adviser

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Galvez out, Mel Sarmiento in as Marcos peace adviser

Jervis Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 21, 2026 11:58 AM PHT

|

Updated April 21, 2026 04:41 PM PHT

Read More:

Carlito Galvez

OPAPRU

Mel Senen Sarmiento

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