Gov’t, MILF renew commitment to peace process in 1st meeting under Marcos

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine government on Saturday, July 1, agreed on at least four key areas as they renewed their commitment to the implementation of the nine-year old Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

The CAB set for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and guided the special region in its transition period, which was supposed to last until 2022 but got extended until May 2025, when the region holds its first elections for regional officials.

The weekend meeting in Davao City, the first under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., came as various officials in the BARMM called for a swift and impartial probe of the June 18 killing of seven MILF members in Maguindanao del Sur.

In a joint statement, both panels expressed their sympathies to the bereaved families of the MILF members who were killed during law enforcement operations in Barangay Damawato in Datu Paglas town.

First of four key areas that both panels agreed upon in the July 1 meeting was to “sincerely thank President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for swiftly directing the Department of Justice to conduct investigations on the aforementioned incident.”

In earlier media interviews, BARMM Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal had said the seven who were killed were legitimate MILF members, belying the military’s allegation that they were members of the lawless Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

The MILF, which now dominates the BARMM government, has asserted that the killing of its members must be resolved by the Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH), a body created to make sure that the provisions of the peace agreement are followed and to probe incidents that threaten the agreement.

The CCCH is composed of Armed Forces and MILF officials.

Iqbal had told reporters that the law enforcement operation was not properly coordinated with them, a violation of the ceasefire agreement and the terms of reference of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group, a mechanism between the government and the MILF that responds to criminality and terrorism in areas with MILF presence.

The July 1 joint statement – signed by Cesar Yano, chair of the government peace panel, and Iqbal, chair of the MILF peace panel – stated that the MILF panel reiterated “the indispensability of a separate inquiry by an independent body to bolster confidence in the findings.”

Second, the two parties agreed to further study the proposals for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Redeployment Parameters and Areas for the Joint Security Assessment, Transition Plan for the Joint Peace and Security Teams (JPSTs), and the Integrated Framework on the implementation of camps transformation program for the initial 33 barangays of the six previously acknowledged MILF camps.

Under the CAB, the JPSTs will function as peacekeeping forces that will be deployed to ensure the security of residents within the six government-acknowledged MILF camps during the decommissioning process that began in 2019.

The JPSTs, with members of the MILF-BIAF (Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces), AFP, and Philippine National Police, were previously planned to have hundreds of teams or a total of 6,000 personnel.

These teams will carry out their duties until the Exit Agreement between the government of the Philippines and the MILF is signed, expectedly by the end of the transition period in 2025.

Third in the areas that both panels agreed on was the creation of a socioeconomic study committee that would look into the components, implementation framework, and funding strategies for the decommissioned combatants and transformation of MILF camps.

The committee members include Zamzamin Ampatuan (chair), Alan Tanjusay, and David Diciano from the Philippine government, and Raissa Jajurie (chair), Aida Silongan, and Mohajirin Ali from the MILF.

Fourth, despite challenges in the implementation of the peace process, the parties committed to pursue the efficient delivery of the other components of the peace agreement.

Both parties agreed to intensify resource mobilization to support the implementation of the CAB by engaging with international state and non-state donors who are willing to support the normalization process, subject to appropriate rules and regulations on the acceptance of grants, donation, or any form of development assistance.

“The modalities for this shall be further discussed by the Parties,” the joint statement read.

During the meeting, the MILF panel manifested to the government the former’s intention to pursue the established norm of launching the newly constituted panels through a meeting in Kuala Lumpur prior to the conduct of any formal meetings, and the revitalization of the International Monitoring Team.

The GPH (Government of the Philippines) Implementing Panel, it said, “committed to convey and elevate both matters to its principal.”

It was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that the series of GPH-MILF peace negotiations took place from 2001 until the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) in 2012 and the CAB in 2014.

The two parties, along with the entire peace mechanisms, reaffirmed their “commitment to the continued implementation of the CAB and the achievement of just and lasting peace in the Bangsamoro and in the entire country,” the statement said.

For his part, presidential peace adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. expressed his appreciation to both panels for their commitment to pursue the peace process in the Bangsamoro. – Rappler.com