KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 27 February) — The Bangsamoro peace process is in “limbo,” according to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In an editorial titled “Need for a full-pledged GPH Panel Chair now” published on their website, Luwaran.com, the MILF stated that the peace process is stalled due to the Philippine government’s failure to maintain a functional implementing structure.
The MILF highlighted the reported resignation of Government of the Philippines (GPH) Peace Implementing Panel (PIP) chair Cesar Yano as a critical issue, leaving them without a dialogue partner and effectively suspending the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). They urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to appoint a new PIP chair and clarify the roles of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) and the GPH-PIP, emphasizing that OPAPRU is not the implementing panel.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) and Climate Conflict Action (CCA) warned that the peace process is “on the brink of collapse,” citing eroding trust, stalled decommissioning, and rising violence. They called for urgent steps to restore cooperation and uphold the CAB and Bangsamoro Organic Law.
The Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) had previously expressed grave concerns in August 2025, noting that trust among parties was at an all-time low since the CAB’s signing in 2014. The peace agreement had led to the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2019, but challenges persist. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
