Key Philippine Military and Insurgency-Related Events: MILF: MILF PolCom conducts Peace Advocacy

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

MILF: MILF PolCom conducts Peace Advocacy

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Apr 19): MILF PolCom conducts Peace Advocacy

The MILF Kutawatu Provincial Committee continuously conducting peace advocacies in its area of jurisdiction with the holding of another advocacy on the “GPH-MILF Peace Process: The Path to Peace” held at Poblacion Guindulungan Gymn, Guindulungan, Maguindanao last April 17, 2016.

“Advocacy programs on GPH-MILF peace process are seen as the answer to the worries and frustrations of KPC constituents due to the non-passage of Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL by the 16th congress of the Philippines. Had the BBL been passed, it would have addressed the centuries-old conflict in Southern Philippines”, Prof. Esmail Abdula, Executive Director of Kalilintad Peaqcebuilding Institute (KPI) and Steering Committee Member of the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) said in his introduction.

Professor Abdula delivered his lecture “PATH TO PEACE” in front of almost 900 participants that came from the municipalities of Guindulungan, Talayan, Datu Anggal Midtimbang and Talitay, Maguindanao.

He emphasized some provisions of Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) as the formula for achieving lasting peace in Southern Philippines. He explained further that the draft BBL crafted by the fifteen (15) commissioners of Bangsamoro Transition Commissions (BTC) is still alive but pending in congress. It is the Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR), a separate version at the House of Representatives and House of Senate that died. The version at the Senate was authored and sponsored by Sen. Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr, the only son of the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.

The non-passage of BBL is perceived as intentional by the legislative body due to their own vested interest.

Mr. Nasser Pulindao gave inputs on the GPH-MILF Peace Process and emphasized that the CAB should be implemented through the passage of the BBL. The government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) then have signed the Tripoli Agreement, the Jeddah Accord and the 1996 Final Peace Agreement but the former had never implemented them based on the letter and spirit of the peace deals.

Pulindao also mentioned the GPH and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace process that started in 1997 until the CAB was signed in Manila on March 27, 2014. He told the participants that there are no issues to be discussed as both parties had already signed the CAB and the product of which is the BBL.

Once the BBL is enacted by congress under the incoming administration, a new region called Bangsamoro shall be emplaced.

Other personalities that attended were Datu Ali Midtimbang, Municipal mayor of Talayan and Datu Antao Midtimbang of Guindulungan who gave their respective messages. They both told the participants about the importance of the peace process and the significance of the Moro struggle.

Both of them were part of the Moro Front since it was organized and till this day, both are sympathetic and supportive to the GPH-MILF Pace process. Mayor Datu Antao Midtimbang sighted a verse from Holy Qur’an that says, “Allah will never change the condition of the people unless they change it themselves”.