Posted by OPAPP, Friday, February 13, 2015. The Third-Party Monitoring Team (TPMT), formally established in 2013 as part of the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, today issued its second annual Public Report.
TPMT Chair Alistair MacDonald said “The recent tragic events at Mamasapano have underlined yet again the human costs of conflict, and the TPMT joins in expressing their condolences to the families of all the victims. Pending the results of the various investigations now being carried out, it would be premature to comment substantively on these events. But it will be essential to protect the future while providing just remedies for the past – and that future can only prosper in the context of a widespread and lasting peace.”
MacDonald added that while public attention was necessarily focused on the recent tragedy, it was nevertheless important not to overlook the substantial progress which had been achieved during 2014 in different dimensions of the peace process. “Ending decades of violent conflict can not be accomplished overnight,” he said, “and the painstaking efforts of all those working for peace deserve to be acknowledged.”
MacDonald therefore hoped that this second annual report of the TPMT would serve to recall the distance that had already been travelled, while acknowledging the challenges that still lay ahead.
In its report released today, the TPMT noted that 2014 had seen major progress in the implementation of the peace agreements – notably including the completion of the Normalisation Annex in January, the historic signature of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in March, the submission of the draft BBL to Congress in September, and the launching immediately thereafter of the extensive Congressional consultations and deliberations on the BBL.
In addition, work continued on all the other dimensions of the agreements, including :
- initial progress in the normalisation track, setting up three major normalisation bodies (JNC, TJRC, IDB), and preparing for the first ceremonial turnover of crew-served weapons and high-powered firearms by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s BIAF to the Independent Decommissioning Body
- continued work on socio-economic development, including through the Sajahatra Bangsamoro programme as well as the preparation of a detailed Bangsamoro Development Plan
- preparing for the transition from ARMM to Bangsamoro Transition Authority, with the establishment of a Coordinating Committee for the Transition. Progress was not as rapid as either Party would have wished, and delays were encountered in a number of areas – for example in completing the drafting of the BBL, in some of the practical aspects of normalisation, or in the implementation of socio-economic programmes.
Looking forward, multiple challenges had already existed (even before the tragic events at Mamasapano)
- completing deliberations on the BBL in a timely manner, in a form compliant with the agreements and not subject to major challenges in the Supreme Court
- preparing for the successful conduct of the plebiscite to ratify the BBL and determine the geographic scope of the Bangsamoro
- arranging for a smooth transition from ARMM to BTA, including addressing the challenges arising from a much shorter-than-expected transition period
- ensuring the necessary support for socio-economic development
- and achieving the greatest possible sense of inclusivity, among all the inhabitants of the future Bangsamoro
Now, since 25 January, many of these pre-existing challenges will become even more acute. Emotions run high, and confidence in the process has taken a knock. But while the challenges are great, the prizes to be gained are even greater – creating a sustainable peace, allowing the region to achieve its full potential and to contribute more effectively to the prosperity and security of the nation as a whole.
And the best guarantees of success are the continuing commitment to peace of both Parties, at the highest level, the massive engagement of Congress and the public in deliberating on the BBL, and the underlying hopes of the people of Mindanao that their children should be able to grow and prosper in a peaceful and just society.
(The present Public Report is the second such report issued by the TPMT (the first having been issued in February 2014).
http://www.luwaran.net/index.php/welcome/item/771-third-party-monitoring-team-issues-its-second-annual-public-report-highlights-considerable-progress-in-2014-before-clash-in-mamasapano
MacDonald added that while public attention was necessarily focused on the recent tragedy, it was nevertheless important not to overlook the substantial progress which had been achieved during 2014 in different dimensions of the peace process. “Ending decades of violent conflict can not be accomplished overnight,” he said, “and the painstaking efforts of all those working for peace deserve to be acknowledged.”
MacDonald therefore hoped that this second annual report of the TPMT would serve to recall the distance that had already been travelled, while acknowledging the challenges that still lay ahead.
In its report released today, the TPMT noted that 2014 had seen major progress in the implementation of the peace agreements – notably including the completion of the Normalisation Annex in January, the historic signature of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in March, the submission of the draft BBL to Congress in September, and the launching immediately thereafter of the extensive Congressional consultations and deliberations on the BBL.
In addition, work continued on all the other dimensions of the agreements, including :
- initial progress in the normalisation track, setting up three major normalisation bodies (JNC, TJRC, IDB), and preparing for the first ceremonial turnover of crew-served weapons and high-powered firearms by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s BIAF to the Independent Decommissioning Body
- continued work on socio-economic development, including through the Sajahatra Bangsamoro programme as well as the preparation of a detailed Bangsamoro Development Plan
- preparing for the transition from ARMM to Bangsamoro Transition Authority, with the establishment of a Coordinating Committee for the Transition. Progress was not as rapid as either Party would have wished, and delays were encountered in a number of areas – for example in completing the drafting of the BBL, in some of the practical aspects of normalisation, or in the implementation of socio-economic programmes.
Looking forward, multiple challenges had already existed (even before the tragic events at Mamasapano)
- completing deliberations on the BBL in a timely manner, in a form compliant with the agreements and not subject to major challenges in the Supreme Court
- preparing for the successful conduct of the plebiscite to ratify the BBL and determine the geographic scope of the Bangsamoro
- arranging for a smooth transition from ARMM to BTA, including addressing the challenges arising from a much shorter-than-expected transition period
- ensuring the necessary support for socio-economic development
- and achieving the greatest possible sense of inclusivity, among all the inhabitants of the future Bangsamoro
Now, since 25 January, many of these pre-existing challenges will become even more acute. Emotions run high, and confidence in the process has taken a knock. But while the challenges are great, the prizes to be gained are even greater – creating a sustainable peace, allowing the region to achieve its full potential and to contribute more effectively to the prosperity and security of the nation as a whole.
And the best guarantees of success are the continuing commitment to peace of both Parties, at the highest level, the massive engagement of Congress and the public in deliberating on the BBL, and the underlying hopes of the people of Mindanao that their children should be able to grow and prosper in a peaceful and just society.
(The present Public Report is the second such report issued by the TPMT (the first having been issued in February 2014).
http://www.luwaran.net/index.php/welcome/item/771-third-party-monitoring-team-issues-its-second-annual-public-report-highlights-considerable-progress-in-2014-before-clash-in-mamasapano
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