Senator Francis Pangilinan. INQUIRER PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Francis Pangilinan said the new Bangsamoro entity that is set to replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) region will better serve the interests of Filipinos in the region.
“We have repeatedly said that the ARMM is a failed experiment,” Pangilinan said in a statement Monday.
“It is about time that we provide our brothers in the south a new, more appropriate political body that will promote the best interests of Muslim Mindanao in line with what has been guaranteed them under the 1987 Constitution,” he added.
The Bangsamoro entity will be created following the recently forged peace framework agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine Government.
The framework, which is set to be signed on October 15 in Malacañang, was the result of peace negotiations by both parties in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Pangilinan said that ARMM proved to be an “outdated” system that was “unable to respond with the changing times.”
Because of that, the ARMM has not been able to meet the needs of Filipinos in the region, he added.
“We are confident that the creation of the Bangsamoro, as a tangible output of the peace process, will be more responsive to the needs of Filipinos in the south,” he said.
“We hope that this will offer a good start and a brighter hope to those of us who seek lasting peace in Mindanao,” Pangilinan added.
He also said that peace in Mindanao, which has long been elusive due to the decades-long MILF insurgency, will greatly help the economic standing of the region.
“Economic prosperity has shown to be a natural neutralizer of social unrest. The creation of jobs and enterprises, and the realization of the potential of our fellow Filipinos in the south, will usher in a renaissance in the Philippines unlike any other we have experienced before,” Pangilinan said.
“That said, we will fully support this move that will affect the lives of millions of Filipinos who have waited generations for peace to finally come to more parts of Mindanao,” he added.