Third party monitor sounds ‘grave concern’ on Bangsamoro peace process
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 28 August) — The independent Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) expressed grave concern Thursday over the Bangsamoro peace process in Mindanao, which it stressed “has reached a perilous juncture.”
The foreign-led TPMT—which is mandated to monitor, review and assess the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB)—sounded the alarm even as it noted that the Bangsamoro peace process “has fundamentally transformed” the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed the CAB in 2014 after 17 years of peace negotiations. The final peace agreement paved the way for the establishment of Bangsamoro region in 2019, following the ratification of Republic 11054 or the Organic Law for the BARMM.
The CAB laid the foundations for effective administrative and legislative structures in the region, the TPMT said.
The forthcoming first regional elections in the BARMM on 13 October are of particular importance as they represent the completion of the political track of the CAB. The successful conduct of these elections will represent a historic milestone for the Bangsamoro people, a chance to elect the first regional parliament, and is in itself a magnificent achievement, the TPMT noted.
“In spite of this progress, the TPMT notes with grave concern that the Bangsamoro peace process has reached a perilous juncture. Trust among the parties is at an all-time low since [the] signature of the CAB,” it said in a statement.
Chaired by Heino Marius of Brussels in Belgium, the monitoring team cited the leadership change in the BARMM and the subsequent suspension of the decommissioning process in pointing out the “serious deterioration in bilateral engagement between the Parties.”
Last March, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Abdulraof Macacua as interim Chief Minister of the BARMM, replacing MILF chair Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim.
Macacua is the chief of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of the MILF.
Last July, the MILF Central Committee suspended the fourth and final phase of decommissioning, involving 14,000 MILF combatants.
It was followed by a directive from Ebrahim last August 16 prohibiting MILF commanders and officials from participating “in any decommissioning or normalization activities” organized by the national government and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) “without prior written approval or authorization” from him.
The TPMT urged the GPH and the MILF to rebuild trust between them to keep the peace process on track.
“Commitment to shared objectives which has been built over years must be continually nurtured, not just in words but in a spirit of effective cooperation and partnership. In order to overcome the current impasse we urge the Parties to engage in constructive dialogue. As the transition phase concludes, we must reinforce commitment to the genuine autonomy of the BARMM,” it said.
The TPMT noted “as positive that both Parties have declared their continued commitment to implementing the CAB.”
“Focus must now be directed at the implementation of all elements of the normalization track where much remains to be done. We call on the Parties, with the leading role of the Peace Implementing Panels, to engage in frank and open discussions on resolving differences in interpretations or disagreements over how to bring the peace process to a successful conclusion in a spirit of partnership,” it said.
The other members of the TPMT are Karen Tañada (Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute), Rahib Kudto (United Youth for Peace and Development), Huseyin Oruc (Turkiye), and Sam Chittick (The Asia Foundation – Philippine country representative). (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
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