The exclusion of the province of Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will only have a “minimal impact” on the national government’s efforts to establish just and lasting peace in the country.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. dispelled rumors about brewing security concerns that Sulu’s exclusion could cause political instability in the Bangsamoro region, especially with the upcoming first parliamentary elections next year.
“There is an effect definitely,” Galvez said when asked if the recent Supreme Court (SC) decision on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) will have an impact on the government’s peace efforts.
Last month, the High Court upheld the validity of Republic Act No. 11054 or the BOL but excluded Sulu from BARMM after the province rejected the law’s ratification. Enacted in 2018, the BOL provided for the establishment of BARMM as a political entity and its corresponding basic governmental structure.
The law effectively abolished the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), giving more political power to the Bangsamoro people to govern their ancestral lands.
The BOL is a product of a series of peace agreements between the Philippine Government (GPH) and various Moro fronts which is largely anchored on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), a 2014 peace deal between the GPH and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The CAB has two tracks: the Political Track that covers the passage of the BOL, and the Normalization process which includes the decommissioning of MILF combatants and their weapons and the transformation of several camps into productive and resilient communities.
Galvez said that even if Sulu is excluded from BARMM, the Normalization process will still push through since its implementation is already at the level of the provincial government.
“So I think the impact will be very minimal in the sense that our agreement with the group will still maintain the implementation of our peace process with the MILF,” the peace adviser noted.
As part of the normalization process, Galvez said the fourth and final phase of the decommissioning of MILF combatants – totaling 14,000 members – is underway. In total, 60,000 MILF fighters are targeted to be decommissioned by the government and the MILF.
“It’s still proceeding positively. It will still continue. We are advising and we are recommending that the fourth phase of 60,000 will continue,” he said.
Meanwhile, Galvez said the OPAPRU is coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and different security elements to make the 2025 parliamentary elections as safe and secure as possible. The upcoming poll will introduce BARMM leaders who will replace the current members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the interim regional government in BARMM.
“Right now, we are very busy with the coming COC [Certificate of Candidacy] declaration and we advise all the candidates to remain calm and to have a peaceful election next year. Ang gawin natin parang sports lang (Let’s all be a sport),” Galvez said.