‘Bangsamoro’ people long for peace, development in region

 From the Manila Bulletin (Jun 7, 2023): ‘Bangsamoro’ people long for peace, development in region (By FRANCK DICK ROSETE)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A woman lamented she could have finished her studies were it not for frequent evacuations in their areas in Maguindanao del Sur.



LANAO del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. (center), Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu (second from right), Tawi-Tawi Gov. Yshmael Sali (right), Sulu Gov. abdusakur Mahail Tan (second from left), and Mayor Hanie Bud of Maluso town, Basilan (left), representative of Basilan Gov. Jim Hataman Salliman, stand at the governors’ table for the opening prayer during the BARMM Governor’s Caucus (BGC) in Cagayan de Oro City on Tuesday, June 6. (Franck Dick Rosete)

This woman is just one of the thousands of Maguindanao residents who long to see peace in their areas.

The woman said when she was young, she had plans to finish her education, but she wasn’t able to do so because she frequently evacuated to different locations due to gun battles.

Now, as a parent, she wanted her children to achieve a goal she didn’t accomplish, something which can only be achieved if the “conflict” is ended.



A RESIDENT in Maguindanao del Sur expresses her concern in a video presentation during the BARMM Governor’s Caucus (BGC) in Cagayan de Oro City on Tuesday, June 6. (Franck Dick Rosete)


The woman’s concerns were actually the focus of a video presentation by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governors’ Caucus (BGC) held here on Tuesday, June 6.

"It would be nice that, hopefully, BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) would help us stop the battles here in our area. There’s no one else that could help here, only BARMM and its members," the woman resident said in her dialect in the video presentation.

The organizers of the event prepared a video presentation showcasing residents, not just in Maguindanao del Sur but also in other BARMM provinces, who were expressing their various concerns and asking for help from the government.

The governors of the five BARMM provinces made their collective commitment and vowed to strengthen their joint efforts in promoting rule of law, peace and order, and inclusive governance and development in the Bangsamoro region.

On April 4 this year, the Philippine Army 601st Infantry Brigade reported that more or less 3,200 residents were displaced in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town, Maguindanao del Sur, due to the gun battles between two armed groups of the 105th and 118th base commands of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF).



THE Philippine Army 601st Infantry Brigade conducts dialogue between the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), the Philippine National Police, and the local government unit of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, after encounters between the 105th and 118th base commands, BIAF-MILF, on April 4, 2023. (File photo courtesy of the 601st Infantry Brigade Facebook page)

For most of the residents in the region, stopping the battles is already a “huge help” in order to live a peaceful life and have a better future for their children.

Another Maguindanao del Sur resident, who lay low from the MILF, questioned the undying gun battles and just wanted to have a job to sustain the needs of his family.

"I’m too old to hold an arm… I’m having a hard time, and I just want my children to finish their studies," the male resident said in their dialect.

Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu stressed during the BGC that governance and development in the BARMM must be inclusive in order to address the “feelings of marginalization by citizens, which trigger rebellion and violent extremism.”

"Public funds must benefit the greatest number of constituents," Mangudadatu said.

Meanwhile, Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr., said the caucus noted that the security challenges in the BARMM were "not sufficiently addressed because of the unclear and overlapping mandates of law enforcement agencies and the peace mechanisms."

He stressed that maintaining peace and order is the joint responsibility of the national and regional governments, local government units (LGUs), and law enforcement agencies.

He added that the Caucus will reach out to the national and regional governments and the peace mechanisms towards improving coordination and interoperability in law enforcement in the communities.

The “rule of law,” which was elaborated by Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Mahail Tan, the “peace and order” elaborated by Adiong, and the “inclusive governance and development” elaborated by Mangudadatu are the priority issues of the caucus – a platform to promote the common issues of the constituents of the LGUs in the BARMM.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/7/bangsamoro-people-long-for-peace-development-in-region