Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. called on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Monday, Sept. 8, to resolve its internal rifts as he underscored that unity within the organization is crucial to sustaining the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process.

This, as Galvez welcomed the concern raised by former peace negotiators over the apparent “divisions” within the leadership of the MILF.

“As they grapple with this internal challenge, we pray that the MILF leadership will be able to take immediate and decisive action to arrest a slide into factionalism. The responsibility of maintaining cohesion and order within their ranks lies squarely with them,” he said.

“We also pray that they be able to engage in deep internal reflection to address and settle any outstanding issues between and among themselves,” he added.

Galvez said any internal division within the MILF leadership risks undermining the broader aims of the historic peace process.

“We call on all those who have accompanied the government and the MILF during the protracted negotiations to exert their moral influence on its leaders in the hope that they may overcome their rift for the sake of the broader interest of peace in the region,” the presidential peace adviser noted.

Over the weekend, former Philippine government (GPH) peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and members Senen Bacani, Zenonida Brosas, Anna Tarhata-Basman, and Yasmin Busran-Lao expressed concern about the apparent “fracture” within the MILF.

“It is unfortunate that what we are seeing today is a fracture within the MILF,” said the peace panel which concluded negotiations with the MILF that led to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in 2014. “But if there are external actors exacerbating these fractures and propping up one against the other, then the tensions are multiplied.”

The group urged the MILF leadership to “halt from any action that would only further destabilize their own organization,” as well as the government to “help unite, not divide, its peace partner.”

The group said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should be fully informed about the situation on the ground. “In this light, we urge the President to decisively prevent any further escalation of the tension that would endanger the smooth transition to a duly elected Bangsamoro Parliament and compromise the full implementation of the CAB, including the decommissioning of MILF-BIAF weapons and combatants,” it said.

In recent months, disagreements have emerged over the appointment of key officials in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). In March 2025, the national government orchestrated a regime change in the BARMM, removing Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim, the chairman of the MILF, as the region’s interim Chief Minister, and appointed Abdulraof Macacua, chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), as his replacement.

MILF Peace Implementing Panel Chairman Mohagher Iqbal said this was done “without prior consultation and concurrence of the Central Committee of the MILF.” He stressed that this was also done a few months before the first parliamentary election in BARMM, which is slated on Oct. 13.

Some MILF members have expressed frustration over the perceived sidelining of their leaders in the transition authority, fueling discontent and stirring tensions within the movement.

In July, the MILF Central Committee suspended the last phase of the decommissioning of the remaining 14,000 combatants and 2,450 weapons due to what it called unfulfilled commitments by the national government, specifically on the provision of socio-economic packages to the decommissioned combatants so they could be fully reintegrated into society. The decommissioning of MILF forces is among the key provisions of the Annex on Normalization under the CAB.

Despite this, Galvez assured that the situation in the Bangsamoro region remains relatively stable, adding that peace will be preserved as long as all parties remain committed to dialogue and good faith in implementing the agreements.

As this developed, the MILF has reaffirmed its steadfast support to the Bangsamoro peace process.

During the 23rd Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) meeting over the weekend, Iqbal, who concurrently serves as the IGRB co-chairperson for the Bangsamoro government, said the MILF’s commitment to peace remains steadfast “regardless of the outcome of the region’s first parliamentary elections.”

“Whatever the result, our commitment to peace and development in the BARMM and the consolidation and strengthening of the institutions that we helped build during our term under the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, including this very august body – the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) – remains resolute,” Iqbal declared.

He also underscored the importance of the IGRB as a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between the national and Bangsamoro governments.