Mohagher Iqbal —INQUIRER PHOTO
KORONADAL CITY — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has assured the government of its commitment to honor the letter and spirit of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) inked nine years ago after 17 years of peace negotiations.
In a statement on Tuesday, Bangsamoro Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal, who chairs the MILF peace implementing panel, reciprocated President Marcos Jr.’s stance on the Bangsamoro peace process.
In a video message during the CAB’s ninth anniversary commemoration on Monday, Marcos vowed that his administration would see through the full implementation of the commitments made by the national government in the CAB.
“We in the national government will do our part to fulfill our commitments under the peace agreement and see its full implementation. We shall not waver from this,” the president said.
Marcos noted that the commemoration of the pact is “a testament to the firm commitment of our government and of our people to sustain and build on the gains of peace in the Bangsamoro.”
“For nine years, the peace pact has stood firm (and) the Bangsamoro people had thrived and flourished. We shall ensure that they continue to do so,” Marcos added.
“As we have said before, the path to lasting peace is always under construction. But we shall build and walk this path together so that our children and the generations that will follow shall live lives of prosperity and peace,” Marcos said further.
He lauded the passage by the interim Bangsamoro parliament of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, which sets the stage for holding the first regional elections in 2025.
Iqbal said the MILF “salutes the President for his firm resolve and commitment to the full implementation of the peace agreement, where according to him, the Bangsamoro can thrive and flourish.”
“In return, we promise the President that we will do everything to fulfill our part of the agreement. We shall direct our people and supporters to cooperate and ensure peace. Political will be reciprocated by political will,” Iqbal added.
Iqbal said that “while there are miles to go before peace is achieved in the southern Philippines, in this journey, we offer the President that the MILF shall walk this path with him side by side and with parity of esteem.”
“We offer the strength, dreams and determination of the Bangsamoro people,” said Iqbal.
The Bangsamoro region was established in 2019 after the ratification of Republic Act 11054 of the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, also the MILF chair, declared Monday a special non-working holiday in the region to celebrate the CAB’s ninth year anniversary.
In a speech on Monday, Ebrahim noted that the signing of the CAB “paved the way for correcting historical injustice, systematic oppression and discrimination committed against the proud people of the southern Philippines.”
“Let us seize this opportunity to learn from one another and work towards a better future for the Bangsamoro people. With the ninth anniversary of the signing of the CAB, may we all be reminded that this political settlement is not the end of the Bangsamoro narrative but rather a continuation of our lifelong quest for justice, peace and progress,” Ebrahim said.
With reports from Taher G. Solaiman
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