Bangsamoro accord takes spotlight of international peace forum
MAKATI CITY (MindaNews / November 18) – Top leaders of the erstwhile rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) highlighted the gains of the peace agreement it signed with the Philippine government 11 years ago.
In an international peace conference Tuesday here, Abdulraof Macacua and Mohagher Iqbal noted the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) brought major changes to the once war-torn region despite the challenges facing the implementation of the peace accord.
Macacua, interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said that one of the most important achievements accomplished so far in the region is uplifting the lives of its people.
“Within six years, BARMM is no longer the poorest region in the Philippines,” he said.
The Bangsamoro region was established in 2019 following the ratification of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the BARMM, also called the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). Its creation was provided under the CAB, which both sides signed in 2014 after 17 years of peace negotiations.
In 2023, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the Bangsamoro region is no longer the poorest region in the country. Its poverty incidence was 23.5%, lower than Zamboanga Peninsula’s 24.4%.
The BARMM replaced the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which was perennially the poorest region of the country, according to government data, largely attributed to the armed conflict that ravaged the area since the 1970s.
Macacua noted the Bangsamoro region has also become a “model” for other places or institutions in the country.
“Our progress has even inspired the Cordillera Region, which is now reconsidering its own push for autonomy. At the national level, Congress is discussing following BARMM’s example by exploring a parliamentary system and considering a national anti-political dynasty law,” he said.
Under the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC) or Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 35 enacted in passed in October 2024, it prohibits nominees of regional parliamentary political parties to be related to another within the second degree of consanguinity (relationship by blood) or affinity (relationship by marriage).
Macacua, who is also the chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the MILF’s armed wing, also recalled how the MILF turned their struggle from arms to peaceful democratic spaces.
A day after the signing of the CAB on March 27, 2014, Macacua said he led an MILF delegation to the Commission on Elections in Manila, which eventually led to the formation of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the MILF’s political party.
“More than a decade later, it has grown into what is arguably the strongest political party in the Bangsamoro,” he said.
On the other hand, Macacua pointed out that one of the major challenges facing Bangsamoro leaders is “learning, adjusting, and building the institutions and conditions through which our people’s aspirations can be realized.”
For Iqbal, MILF Peace Implementing Panel chair and a member of the Bangsamoro Parliament, the most significant milestone of the CAB is the establishment of the BARMM.
“The establishment of the Bangsamoro region gives the Bangsamoro people in furtherance of their right to self-determination. It might not be the best autonomy but it’s something that we can be proud of and largely it has given the Bangsamoro people powers, including fiscal autonomy and quite flexible processes in relation to other aspects of governance,” he said.
Iqbal, also the region’s education minister, stressed that the establishment of the BARMM “really makes a difference that is much, much better than the ARMM.”
Alexander Yano, Undersecretary for Operations at the Department of National Defense, lauded the Bangsamoro region for passing six of the seven key priority measures enshrined in the BOL.
“We have a functioning government in the Bangsamoro now,” he said.
Iqbal also highlighted the automatic annual block grant allocated to the Bangsamoro region, which is mandated by the BOL, as among the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process.
“The Parliament is given the authority to allocate funds for whatever project they want to pursue and implement. And that really makes a difference also,” he said.
Data from the Department of Finance showed that the Bangsamoro region received P70.51 billion block grant in 2024, and a total of P337.53 billion from 2020 to 2024.
The two MILF leaders, who have been both serving the Bangsamoro government, shared their insights during the international conference on “After the Peace Agreements: The Bangsamoro and Beyond.”
Organized by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), over 100 participants from the country and other nations attended the event that will run until Wednesday.
Benedicto Bacani, IAG executive director, said the conference aims to deepen the participants’ understanding of peace agreements and their effective implementation.
“We must never lose sight of the one truth that shared humanity and interpersonal relationships are keys to unlocking true peace,” he said.
Scholars, policymakers, peacebuilding practitioners, civil society leaders, and international partners from Nepal, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Cambodia graced the event. The event is supported by Australian Aid in cooperation with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Unity and Reconciliation, the Southeast Asian Women Peace Mediators, and the Bangsamoro government. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
No comments:
Post a Comment