KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 28 March) – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has assured anew the Philippine Government of its commitment to the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
Both sides signed the CAB nine years ago after 17 years of peace negotiations on March 27, 2014, during the term of the late President Benigno Aquino III.
In a statement furnished to MindaNews Tuesday, Mohagher Iqbal, MILF peace implementing panel chair, reciprocated President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s stance on the Bangsamoro peace process.
In a video message during the CAB’s ninth anniversary commemoration at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Monday, Marcos vowed that the commitments made by the national government under the CAB “will be realized.”
“We in the national government will do our part to fulfill our commitments under the peace agreement and see its full implementation. We shall not waver from this,” he said.
Iqbal said the MILF salutes the President “for his firm resolve and commitment to the full implementation of the peace agreement.”
“In return, we promise the President that we will do everything to fulfill our part of the agreement. We shall direct our people and supporters to cooperate and ensure peace,” Iqbal said.
“Political will be reciprocated by political will,” he added.
Iqbal said that “while there are miles to go before peace is achieved in the southern Philippines, in this journey, we offer the President that the MILF shall walk this path with him side by side and with parity of esteem.”
“We offer the strength, dreams and determination of the Bangsamoro people,” said Iqbal, Minister of Education of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Bangsamoro region was established in 2019 following the ratification of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the BARMM. The creation of the Bangsamoro region is the key component of the CAB. It replaced the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, concurrent MILF chair, declared Monday a special non-working holiday in the BARMM to celebrate the CAB’s ninth anniversary.
In his speech at the PICC, Ebrahim noted that the signing of the CAB “paved the way for correcting historical injustice, systematic oppression and discrimination committed against the proud people of the southern Philippines.”
“Let us all reflect on the progress we have made since the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014 and the difficulties that lie ahead in achieving lasting peace in the Bangsamoro region,” Ebrahim said.
He added that this is an opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue and exchanges of ideas toward the goal of promoting inclusive growth, participation and human development in the region.
“Let us seize this opportunity to learn from one another and work towards a better future for the Bangsamoro people. With the ninth anniversary of the signing of the CAB, may we all be reminded that this political settlement is not the end of the Bangsamoro narrative but rather a continuation of our lifelong quest for justice, peace and progress,” Ebrahim said.
For his part, Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez, Jr., officer-in-charge of the Department of National Defense (DND), expressed his agency’s full support in securing peace and order in the region.
“Rest assured that our agency will fully support the CAB’s implementation so that the dividends of peace and development will continue to be felt,” said Galvez, who previously headed the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.
Galvez stressed that the defense department and the military shall protect the Bangsamoro region from peace spoilers.
“The DND and Armed Forces of the Philippines shall be the vanguards of peace and security in the Bangsamoro (region). We shall not allow the spoilers of peace to negate the gains we have achieved,” he added.
The CAB covers political and normalization tracks. The political phase includes the ratification of RA 11054, popularly called the Bangsamoro Organic Law, and the establishment of the BARMM.
On the other hand, the normalization track involves the decommissioning of the 40,000-strong MILF and putting their weapons beyond use, the transformation of six MILF camps into peaceful and productive communities, and the disbandment of private armed groups, among others.
The third phase of the decommissioning process is still ongoing since September 2022. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
