The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said the Philippines’ improvement in the Global Peace Index (GPI) this year is a result of a collaborative push for a comprehensive peace process.

The latest GPI data by the Institute for Economics and Peace showed the Philippines moved up four places to rank 125 among 163 countries.

The report noted that the Philippines registered its best score in peacefulness in a decade, “largely driven by significant improvements in political stability, impact of terrorism, and homicide rates.”

The GPI recognized the Philippines as one of the five countries with the largest improvements in peace and security, along with Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria.

The report said the Philippines had the biggest improvement within the Asia-Pacific region, “driven by changes in the country’s safety and security, and ongoing conflict domains”.

Iceland, New Zealand, and Ireland occupied the top three spots while Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria were the least peaceful nations.

GPI 2022 likewise revealed that the average level of global peacefulness deteriorated by 0.3 percent, noting an 11th instance of deterioration in the past 14 years.

OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Saturday that the improved GPI ranking is a testament to the national government’s steadfast commitment to achieving peace and order.

“We are very happy with the results of the latest GPI. This is an affirmation that all the peacebuilding efforts of the Duterte administration over the last six years are now bearing fruit,” Galvez said in a statement.

“This also proves that the Philippine peace process is moving toward the right direction. The results of GPI 2022 should encourage the incoming administration to build upon and sustain the gains of peace,” he added.

GPI, which measures global peacefulness, collected 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure the peace situations of countries worldwide.

Peace is identified and scored through major domains such as safety and security; ongoing domestic and international conflict; and the degree of militarization.

“Now that our global ranking has improved, we must continue to work harder so that these peace gains will be reflected in our regional rankings,” Galvez said.

Galvez credited the whole-of-nation and whole-of-society approaches implemented during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

To realize the government’s goals, the OPAPRU pushed major programs focused on the implementation of peace agreements with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Moro National Liberation Front, Rebolusyonaryong Partido Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade-Tabara Paduano Group (now known as Kapatiran), and the Cordillera Bodong Administration – Cordillera People’s Liberation Army.

Galvez said that as Filipinos reap the dividends of peace, “we shall also be strengthening our international partnerships so that we can create a ripple effect across the globe”.

“The OPAPRU, together with the security, justice, and peace cluster, is committed to help raise the level of peacefulness globally. We remain open to working with more peace partners that share the same vision of advancing peace throughout the world,” he said. (PNA)