kababaihan-at-kapayapaan-issue-3

Both the government and the MILF have reaffirmed theircommitment to the peace process.Normalization programAlongside the political process of the creation ofBangsamoro, a normalization 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 that will rollout the normalization process. These include theJoint Normalization Committee, the IndependentDecommissioning Body, and the Transitional Justice andReconciliation 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 reconciliation.Bangsamoro Development PlanA larger socio-economic program called the BangsamoroDevelopment Plan (BDP) was also formally launchedon November 2014. Formulated by the MILF leadershipthrough its socio-economic group—the BangsamoroDevelopment Agency—the BDP is a six-year developmentplan aimed at providing a medium- and long-term visionand strategy for the recovery and development of theBangsamoro areas.Envisaged to have two phases, the BDP will cover theperiod from 2014 to 2020 that shall build on the gains ofBDA’s operations, including achievements of the recentSajahatra Bangsamoro program.The Sajahatra 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.Preparation for transitionKey moves have also been made to prepare for thetransition from the Autonomous Region in MuslimMindanao (ARMM) to the Bangsamoro, particularly withthe creation of the Coordination 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 National Liberation Front(MNLF)UNDER A SINGLE FRAMEWORK of the CAB, thegovernment continues to engage the MNLF and theOrganization of Islamic Cooperation (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 activate the mechanism called the BangsamoroCoordinating Forum (BCF), which aims to serve as aplatform for discussion and dialogue between the twoMoro Fronts to narrow down their differences andconsolidate their efforts in the achievement of theBangsamoro aspiration.To date, two rounds of BCF meetings have beenconducted in Manila. Both produced significant resultsand reiterated 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 legislature. invited the MNLF to attenda 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/National Democratic Front(CPP/NPA-NDF)Towards the end of 2014, there were indications 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 2015KABABAIHANatKAPAYAPAAN37