Bangsamoro officials push back vs alleged failure to normalize Mindanao

From CNN Philippines (May 14, 2021): Bangsamoro officials push back vs alleged failure to normalize Mindanao (By Eimor Santos)

Officials of the Bangsamoro transition government on Friday admitted they have yet to normalize the situation in the conflict-stricken region, but it does not mean they failed — they just need more time.

"The normalization process is not a magic formula," Bangsamoro Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal said during a Senate hearing on proposed amendments to the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

"Certainly, right now we cannot normalize the situation in Mindanao kasi 'yung lahat ng binanggit ko, naumpisahan pero hindi pa lahat substantial ang pag-implement (because not all the things I mentioned have been substantially implemented)," he added.

Iqbal was referring to several components under the BOL, including the decommissioning of members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, abolition of private armed groups, and socio-economic development, which are all seen to bring lasting peace down south.

The landmark legislation created the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which is now being governed by the MILF-led Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). It was a result of decades-long negotiations between the government and Moro rebels who fought for self-determination.

Senator Imee Marcos raised criticisms that the BTA is "not held in high regard" for its supposed failure to normalize the situation in Mindanao.

"I do not wish to argue that point. I'm merely stating what has been told to me in the effort to have the elections as quickly as possible and on schedule. The claim is that there are very serious flaws in the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro which is the reason for what happened in Datu Paglas," Marcos said.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said there is no failure in the implementation of the peace deal.

"The normalization is not a failure. The problem is really, it is not completed. That is why we are asking the extension in order to complete the transition and the normalization track," Ebrahim said.

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez, Jr. said the Duterte administration continues to support the BTA's call for another three-year term, or until 2025, to fulfill its mandate.

Galvez said the BTA has done "a remarkable job" so far, but the current three-year transition period is simply not enough. Restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic have also derailed the timetable, he added.

To extend the BTA's term, Congress needs to pass a measure that would postpone the first regular election in the Bangsamoro, which the BOL set for 2022.

The Commission on Elections is asking Congress to come up with a decision by July so the necessary preparations can be made in case the regional polls would push through. The Senate panel ended its public hearing on Friday to allow the technical working group to convene and draft a committee report that will be discussed in plenary.
The case of Datu Paglas

Senators asked why peace remained elusive in the region, citing the fresh attack by some 20 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters near a public market in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao last week.

The BIFF is a breakaway group of the MILF. Hundreds of BIFF members have expressed willingness to rejoin the MILF and cooperate with the government, Ebrahim said, but standing arrest warrants and other issues have to be resolved first.

Bangsamoro's Minister for the Interior and Local Government Naguib Sinarimbo said the May 8 incident in Datu Paglas should not be used to discredit the improved peace and security situation in the region.

"In 2000, yung kalsada going to Davao and General Santos was held for several days by the MILF. In the case of Datu Paglas, wala hong isang oras wala na hong BIFF doon sa pwesto nila," Sinarimbo said. "Malayong malayo ho."

[Translation: In 2000, the street going to Davao and General Santos was held for several days by the MILF. In the case of Datu Paglas, the BIFF fled in less than an hour.]

He also explained that the BIFF rebels reached Datu Paglas after being forced out of Datu Piang town by MILF forces. The Joint Peace and Security Team, which currently maintains order in the region, is composed of members of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces, and MILF.

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/5/14/bangsamoro-transition-mindanao-congress.html