ARMM gov on CAB 2nd anniv: Prioritize peace process, BBL

DAVAO CITY — On the 2nd year commemoration of the inking of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor and re-electionist candidate Mujiv Hataman asked fellow politicians to prioritize the peace process.

“As ARMM governor and re-electionist candidate, this is my pledge and commitment to the Bangsamoro and Filipino people. I likewise challenge all candidates to extend their support for the peace process in the interim period and for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as soon as the new government is in power,” Hataman said in a statement on Monday.

Hataman said the Bangsamoro government is important, for it is the actualization of the yearnings of the Moro people after decades of conflict.

“For almost half a century, the struggle to establish a genuine Bangsamoro political system of self-governance in Mindanao has been the passion and vision of the region’s multi-cultural communities. The cost of this righteous cause has been overwhelming in terms of lives lost, properties destroyed and hindered socio-economic development,” Hataman said.

The governor, who is running under the Liberal Party and was first appointed as OIC-governor after the fall of the Ampatuan clan, also lauded President Aquino for being instrumental in the progress of the peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Hataman noted that it is during the present administration that the significant agreements were signed with the MILF.

“Through his stewardship, the government’s peace negotiation with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was concluded and sealed with the signing of the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro (FAB) in October 5, 2012, and further expanded by the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro on March 27, 2014, the second anniversary of which we commemorate today,” Hataman said.

And with the non-legislation of the BBL, Hataman stressed that ARMM will continue to hold up the signed agreements that will benefit the Bangsamoro people.

The CAB includes the substantial contents and specifics of the political, economic, and social agreements between the government and the MILF, and its implementation includes the legislation of the BBL, which will establish the new Bangsamoro government.

“Despite the failure of Congress to enact the BBL, the Bangsamoro people as represented by the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao shall persevere in supporting the CAB and its interim implementation,” Hataman said.

“This means honoring the ceasefire and all other peace-building mechanisms in place, and in particular implementing billions of pesos in socio-economic projects by the ARMM as we await the formation of the CAB-mandated Bangsamoro regional government,” he added.

The MILF continues to consolidate its forces and is enforcing the ceasefire agreement despite the failure of the government to pass the BBL.

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal earlier said that the MILF will pursue the peace process amidst the frustrations from the communities and the ground forces. JE

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