By Priam F. Nepomuceno
MANILA – Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento on Thursday said the “historic” Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) laid the crucial foundation that enables the Bangsamoro people to realize their long-held aspiration for meaningful self-governance
Sarmiento made this remark on the 14th anniversary of the FAB signing, which “led to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in 2014, the Bangsamoro Organic Law in 2018, and the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2019.”
In line with this, Sarmiento, who is also chair of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) Peace Implementing Panel, said the Bangsamoro people elected their first parliament last Sept. 14, carrying forward the political track first outlined in the FAB.
“Today, our primary focus shifts to the Normalization Track: ensuring that decommissioned combatants, their families, and the communities and the six acknowledged camps experience the tangible dividends of peace,” he said in a statement.
During the special meeting in Kuala Lumpur last Sept. 25, the OPAPRU chief said the GPH and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Implementing Panels approved the Terms of Reference for a roadmap to complete the CAB’s implementation.
“We also signed an Addendum to accelerate socioeconomic support for decommissioned combatants and renewed the mandates of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and the Civilian Protection Component,” Sarmiento said.
“Furthermore, this week marked the launch of the final report of the Parcellary Inventory Project, a vital tool to guide development and address land concerns in priority areas across the six camps,” he added.
As chair of the GPH Peace Implementing Panel, Sarmiento reaffirmed the government’s commitment, under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., to work with its MILF partners until every commitment under the signed agreements is fulfilled.
“The FAB was founded on the conviction that our differences could be bridged through peaceful dialogue. Fourteen years later, this principle continues to guide our efforts, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to the people of the Bangsamoro,” he said. (PNA)
