Senator Loren Legarda stressed her lifelong mission of peacebuilding, recalling her decades of work mediating in conflict areas, negotiating the release of captives, and championing programs that transform peace agreements into development dividends for communities long deprived of basic services.

She delivered this message as Guest of Honor and Speaker at the signing of the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) Memorandum of Agreement between the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) and implementing local government units held on March 26, 2026 at Foro de Intramuros, Manila.

“Negotiation may stop the gunfire for a time, but only development can prevent it from starting again,” Legarda said.

Legarda recalled her early missions in Sorsogon, Lianga, Marilog, Kalayaan, and Jolo, where she risked her life to secure the release of police officers, soldiers, and journalists.

“I placed myself in the middle of a crossfire with no script and no certainty about what would happen, focused only on the outcomes that the captives would return home alive, that we could open space for peaceful dialogue, and that I would return safely to my children,” Legarda recounted.

The four-term senator also worked with the late Bishop Jesus Varela and Bishop Tomas Millamena of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in the release of Army Major Noel Buan, and later, the release of journalists Arlyn dela Cruz, Ces Drilon, and Jimmy Encarnacion.

She emphasized that peace must be sustained by addressing poverty, exclusion, injustice, and lack of opportunity.

“We stood firm that we would not validate abduction as a business model. We did not agree to ransom, instead, we committed to bring development assistance to communities long deprived of basic services,” Legarda said.

As a National Security professional who graduated top of her class at the National Defense College of the Philippines, Legarda underscored that security is about ensuring conditions that prevent conflict from arising again.

The PAMANA Program is the government’s flagship peace and development convergence program targeting conflict-affected and geographically isolated communities.

Since 2011, PAMANA has mobilized over ₱75.8 billion in investments for conflict-affected communities, delivering roads, bridges, housing, health services, and livelihood projects. The MOA outlines the operational, reportorial, and post-implementation requirements for project execution, ensuring clarity, coordination, and accountability among implementing partners.

As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation, and as Chair of the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, Legarda reinforced this approach through Senate Bill No. 532, which institutionalizes a Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Program for the Bangsamoro, and through an additional ₱850 million in the 2026 General Appropriations Act to expand OPAPRU’s Educational Assistance Program.

“Through education, we aim to reduce the appeal of violence and expand the horizon of what is possible for the next generation of Filipinos,” Legarda said.

Legarda closed by urging LGUs to ensure inclusivity and transparency in implementing PAMANA projects.

“Peacebuilding requires the careful rebuilding of trust where none existed and the delicate balancing of principle and pragmatism in the face of real and unavoidable danger,” Legarda concluded.