The Philippine Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro
The Peace Working Group has been a courageous experiment in local third-party mediation in an active conflict zone. At first, it worked, but with the lack of political progress in implementing the 1996 agreement, continued violence from lawless groups like Abu Sayyaf, and explosive clan conflicts, both forces continued to be involved in conflict. The Bangsamoro Comprehensive Agreement (CAB) is a final peace agreement signed on March 27, 2014 at the Malacañang Palace in Manila between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. [1] Under the agreement, Islamic separatists would hand over their firearms to third parties chosen by the rebels and the Philippine government. The MILF has agreed to dismantle its armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF). In return, the government would establish an autonomous Bangsamoro. The division of power was a central point for the overhaul of autonomy. The long-standing Muslim uprising in Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago was an urgent national security issue for the Philippines. Several peace agreements were concluded there, but their implementation was usually a problem. The latest agreement, the Bangsamoro Peace Process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), aims to create an autonomous region of Bangsamoro through the adoption of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Instead of bringing together Muslim leaders, this agreement further divided the MNLF,[13] as some factions within the group preferred independence to autonomy.
Thus, a group of officers led by Hashim Salamat broke up[14] and formed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to continue their armed struggle for an independent Bangsamoro (Moro Nation) in Mindanao. After the 1996 final peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the MNLF moved directly and abruptly to leadership positions in the Muslim Autonomous Region of Mindanao (ARMM) and other institutions led by the MNLF`s founding president, Nur Misuari. MNLF members had little or no experience in government offices and development practices, which many said contributed to the “failure” of the ARMM. As part of the peace process, institutions have been put in place to begin the transition before the conclusion of the Comprehensive Agreement. For example, in 2003, the Bangsamoro Development Agency was established to “manage and implement reconstruction and development” with funds from various agencies, in particular the Mindanao Trust Fund, established by several donors and managed by the World Bank. In 2005, the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute was established to train those who will work after the agreement is concluded. The government aims to build the region by 2016. The agreement calls for Muslim autonomy in parts of the southern Philippines in exchange for the MILF deactivating rebel forces. MILF forces would hand over their firearms to third parties selected by the MILF and the Philippine government. A regional police force would be established and the Philippine army would reduce the presence of troops and help disband private armies in the region.
[18] In the agreement, the government committed to changing a 37-year-old experiment in autonomy, the current version of which, the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), did not respond to the Moro people`s quest to free themselves from a highly centralized government. [2] “The conclusion of the comprehensive agreement is important not only for the Bangsamoro, the people of Mindanao and all other Filipino citizens, all of whom must be conquered as a single country to fulfill their unfinished task of nation-building.” – Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Chairperson of the GPH Peace Group The signing of the Framework Agreement and its four annexes marked the conclusion of formal negotiations between the GPH and the MILF and created the Preconditions for a historic peace agreement between the parties. The Bangsamoro Comprehensive Agreement (CAB) was signed by both sides on 27 March 2014 at Malacañang Palace. It is truly a pioneering example of a democratic, inclusive and peaceful solution to protracted conflict. It also reaffirms the commitment of both parties to the following agreements/documents: On 24 April 2012, the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed a key agreement that represents a significant step forward in the peace process. The agreement, known as GPH – MILF Discussion Points on Principles, summarized the progress made since the start of talks between the Philippine government under President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and presidential adviser on the peace process, Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles, and helped lay the groundwork for the framework agreement signed in October 2012. The CAB is a five-page, 12-point text document that represents the final peace agreement between the GPH and the MILF.
On the 15th. In October 2012, the Philippine government signed a highly acclaimed document presented as a framework agreement on the Bangsamoro, culminating in the Aquino government`s efforts to end the stalemate in the peace process. The new document, which only provides a general framework for the actual peace negotiations, announced that “the status quo is unacceptable and that the Bangsamoro should be created to replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The Bangsamoro was the new autonomous political entity (NPE) mentioned in the decision points of the April 2012 Principles. According to President Aquino, it was the agreement that “could finally seal a real and lasting peace in Mindanao.” [15] With which Bangsamoro replaced the ARMM, which was described by President Benigno Aquino III as a “failed experiment”. [16] – The Declaration of Continuity of Negotiations, signed in June 2010, which took over the pieces of the failed Memorandum of Understanding on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD). On January 24, 2014, the Philippine Prime Minister`s negotiator, Miriam Coronel Ferer, and the chief negotiator, Mohagher Iqbal, signed a peace agreement in Kuala Lumpur. The deal would pave the way for the creation of the new Muslim autonomous entity called “Bangsamoro” under a law that must be approved by the Philippine Congress. Since establishing a national program in the Philippines in 2004, HD has supported the implementation of existing peace agreements in Mindanao, southern Philippines, between the government and various armed groups, mediated in local clan conflicts, and helped the government reach a historic peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The current ARMM Charter lists 14 areas that do not fall within the powers of the regional legislature. In this comprehensive peace agreement, the parties list 81 powers reserved for the central government, exclusive to the bangsamoro, and at the same time agreed or shared by both sides for power-sharing. Of the 81 powers, 58 are transferred to Bangsamoro, nine are reserved for the central government and 14 are divided.
[2] The Bangsamoro Framework Agreement and four annexes, namely transitional provisions and modalities, revenue generation and asset sharing, energy sharing and standardisation, will be included in the comprehensive agreement together with the Bangsamoro Waters Addendum. [3] The Armed Forces of the Philippines lifted red alert status on March 24 in preparation for the event. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, President Hadji Murad Ibrahim and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak are among the key figures expected to sign the agreement. [4] HD began advising the Malaysian moderator, the MILF and the government on the peace process in 2007. After the collapse of the ancestral domain agreement in 2008, HD helped set up the International Contact Group (ICG), which was officially launched in November 2009 to advise and assist both sides and the Malaysian facilitator in the discussions. HD has sent representatives to every round of talks since December 2009 and has held regular bilateral talks with representatives of both sides. In addition to HD, the ICG is composed of the governments of Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Kingdom, as well as international non-governmental organizations: Conciliation Resources, Muhammadiyah and the Community of Sant`Egidio (an original member, the Asia Foundation joined the third-party monitoring team in 2013). In pursuit of its goal of liberating Bangsamoro, the MNLF engaged government forces in large-scale armed collisions,[5] which reached their peak in the early 70s, when rebel blitz operations allowed them to control a significant number of communities around the city of Cotabato and its airport complex. .
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