Marcos designates Carlito Galvez as representative to Ukranian peace summit

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has designated Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. as the representative of the Philippines to the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.

This was announced by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Tuesday. The PCO did not provide any explanation as to why Marcos will not attend the Ukrainian summit.

To recall, it was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who said the Philippines would participate in the peace summit that will be held from June 15 to 16.

In the recent IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Zelenskyy said that diplomacy — in the form of the peace summit  — was the best way to end a "cruel war" in Ukraine that has killed thousands in his country since 2022.

It was reported last month that Switzerland already had over 50 registrations from the more than 160 delegations the neutral country has invited for the summit.

Countries from South America, Africa, and the Middle East were among those that had confirmed their attendance. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA Integrated News