UPDATESFrom the Peace TablesThe Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) continues to buildon the recent gains of the peace process towards its goal of shared peace and prosperityfor everyone in the country.By MARC SIAPNOMoro Islamic Liber<strong>at</strong>ion Front (MILF)GPH and MILF chief negoti<strong>at</strong>ors sign the ImplementingGuidelines for decommissioning of MILF weapons andcomb<strong>at</strong>ants, 30 January 2015, Kuala Lumpur witnessedby Hayder Berk, chair Independent DecommissioningBody (left) and Tengku D<strong>at</strong>o’ AB Ghafar TengkuMohamed, Malaysian facilit<strong>at</strong>or (center)FOLLOWING THE HISTORIC SIGNING of theComprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) onMarch 2014, the government and MILF embarked on theimplement<strong>at</strong>ion stage of the peace pact, with the passageof the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress as one ofits primary components.As a gesture of strong support to the legisl<strong>at</strong>ive measure,the draft BBL—the legal transl<strong>at</strong>ion of the CAB—waspersonally turned over by President Benigno Aquino III tothe leaders of both houses of Congress on September 2014.The Sen<strong>at</strong>e and the House of Represent<strong>at</strong>ives conductedover 40 public hearings and consult<strong>at</strong>ions—both in theirrespective chambers and in different provinces—aimed<strong>at</strong> improving the bill and making the process even moreinclusive, reportedly the most number ever held for thepassage of a law.However, as both chambers neared the culmin<strong>at</strong>ion ofpublic hearings and consult<strong>at</strong>ions on the BBL, tragedystruck in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on January 25,2015, claiming nearly 70 lives from all sides, includingcivilians. Congressional deliber<strong>at</strong>ions on the BBL werepostponed and the target for passing the BBL has beenmoved from March to June 2015.Commitment to peaceIn a broadcast address in February, President Aquinoassured the n<strong>at</strong>ion th<strong>at</strong> justice and accountability willbe exacted for the tragedy, while also reaffirming theadministr<strong>at</strong>ion’s commitment to peace.“To all those working with us towards peace: We arefully committed to continuing the fight,” PresidentAquino said. “And I say to those opposed to ourobjective, especially those who resort to violence,mark my words: you will feel the sharpened andstrengthened might of a unified Filipino n<strong>at</strong>ion.”“Let us all remain focused on our primary goal:a widespread and lasting peace,” the Presidentadded.36 KABABAIHAN<strong>at</strong>KAPAYAPAAN March 2015
Both the government and the MILF have reaffirmed theircommitment to the peace process.Normaliz<strong>at</strong>ion programAlongside the political process of the cre<strong>at</strong>ion ofBangsamoro, a normaliz<strong>at</strong>ion process will be jointlyimplemented by the government and MILF to pave theMILF’s return to peaceful, productive lives.On September 2014, the GPH and MILF peace panelsformalized the bodies and mechanisms th<strong>at</strong> will rollout the normaliz<strong>at</strong>ion process. These include theJoint Normaliz<strong>at</strong>ion Committee, the IndependentDecommissioning Body, and the Transitional Justice andReconcili<strong>at</strong>ion Committee.These efforts affirm the commitment to work on thegradual decommissioning or turnover of MILF forces andweapons, alongside the provisions for socio-economicdevelopment and transitional justice and reconcili<strong>at</strong>ion.Bangsamoro Development PlanA larger socio-economic program called the BangsamoroDevelopment Plan (BDP) was also formally launchedon November 2014. Formul<strong>at</strong>ed by the MILF leadershipthrough its socio-economic group—the BangsamoroDevelopment Agency—the BDP is a six-year developmentplan aimed <strong>at</strong> providing a medium- and long-term visionand str<strong>at</strong>egy for the recovery and development of theBangsamoro areas.Envisaged to have two phases, the BDP will cover theperiod from 2014 to 2020 th<strong>at</strong> shall build on the gains ofBDA’s oper<strong>at</strong>ions, including achievements of the recentSajah<strong>at</strong>ra Bangsamoro program.The Sajah<strong>at</strong>ra Bangsamoro, meant to jumpstart the initialdividends of peace after the signing of the FrameworkAgreement on the Bangsamoro, continues to be rolledout in Bangsamoro communities since it was launched onFebruary 2013. Jointly implemented by both governmentand MILF, the program has been extended to June 2015.Prepar<strong>at</strong>ion for transitionKey moves have also been made to prepare for thetransition from the Autonomous Region in MuslimMindanao (ARMM) to the Bangsamoro, particularly withthe cre<strong>at</strong>ion of the Coordin<strong>at</strong>ion Team for the Transition(CT4T).As of November 2014, the Terms of Reference for CT4Thad already been agreed upon by both the GPH and MILFpanels.Moro N<strong>at</strong>ional Liber<strong>at</strong>ion Front(MNLF)UNDER A SINGLE FRAMEWORK of the CAB, thegovernment continues to engage the MNLF and theOrganiz<strong>at</strong>ion of Islamic Cooper<strong>at</strong>ion (OIC), through itsPeace Committee for the Southern Philippines (PCSP),despite the postponement of the fifth session of theTripartite Review Process on the 1996 Final PeaceAgreement supposedly set in 2013. Since its assumptionto chairmanship of OIC-PCSP, Egypt has engaged with thegovernment to discuss the developments on the peacetables with both Moro Fronts—the MILF and the MNLF.One of the major strides in the Mindanao peace processis the effort of the OIC, through its Special Envoy,to activ<strong>at</strong>e the mechanism called the BangsamoroCoordin<strong>at</strong>ing Forum (BCF), which aims to serve as apl<strong>at</strong>form for discussion and dialogue between the twoMoro Fronts to narrow down their differences andconsolid<strong>at</strong>e their efforts in the achievement of theBangsamoro aspir<strong>at</strong>ion.To d<strong>at</strong>e, two rounds of BCF meetings have beenconducted in Manila. Both produced significant resultsand reiter<strong>at</strong>ed the commitment of both MNLF and MILFto peace.Consistent with the inclusivity approach of governmentto a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to theBangsamoro question on the right to self-governance, theGPH, through its legisl<strong>at</strong>ure. invited the MNLF to <strong>at</strong>tenda hearing on the BBL in January 2015. True to their word,the factions of MNLF-Sema and MNLF-Alonto appeared inCongress and put forth to the lawmakers their positionson the BBL.Communist Party of the Philippines/NewPeople’s Army/N<strong>at</strong>ional Democr<strong>at</strong>ic Front(CPP/NPA-NDF)Towards the end of 2014, there were indic<strong>at</strong>ions on thepart of the CPP/NPA/NDF of their readiness to resumethe peace talks with the government. Such signals arewelcome to the government which remains hopefulabout the peace process with the communist rebels.March 2015KABABAIHAN<strong>at</strong>KAPAYAPAAN37
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