In a bid to ease the tension after a deadly ambush in Basilan last week, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said that the peace implementing panels of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) reaffirmed their dedication to fulfill all their commitments under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
A joint statement released by the GPH and MILF panels on Friday, Jan. 31, showed that they have agreed to carry out initiatives that aim to “push forward, build on, and preserve the gains of peace in the Bangsamoro.”
The joint statement, signed by GPH-MILF Peace Implementing Panel Co-Chairs Cesar B. Yano and Mohagher M. Iqbal, was released as the panels held their 36th meeting on the heels of the commemoration of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) sixth founding anniversary.
“The panels have directed the GPH-MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) to conduct joint inquiries and investigations and intensify their joint information campaign to strengthen support to the peace process. This is in light of the ceasefire-related incidents that occurred recently,” the statement read.
They were referring to the tragic Jan. 22 ambush perpetrated by members of the MILF against the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) soldiers in Sumisip, Basilan. Two soldiers and two MILF fighters died in the incident.
Members of the Philippine Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade, 32nd Infantry Battalion were conducting a security check in Barangay Lower Cabengbeng to secure representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) when they were fired upon by lawless elements aided by the MILF.
The MILF said the soldiers did not coordinate their entry, emphasizing that the area is placed under MILF control, but the AFP insisted that the soldiers have informed the MILF about their operation.
The GPH-MILF panels extended their deepest condolences to the families of the two soldiers who perished during the ambush in Basilan.
Moreover, the OPAPRU said that the GPH and MILF panels also agreed to adopt a "monitoring and evaluation system for normalization of the Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) based on the Peace Accords Matrix – Mindanao (PAM-M)", which will "supplement but not supplant the monitoring mandate of the Third-Party Monitoring Team (TPMT)."
The system developed will be completely turned over to the JNC no later than December 2025, according to OPAPRU.
Further, the panels have also approved the structure, composition, and process flow for the conduct of the joint security assessment (JSA) relative to the redeployment of AFP soldiers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
They have also approved the framework for the transition plan for the Joint Peace and Security Teams (JPSTs) as part of their phasing out as the last MILF members to be decommissioned; and the GPH-MILF Transitional Justice and Reconciliation (TJR) Roadmap, which laid out two parallel tracks based on the recommendations indicated in the report of the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC).
The panels also discussed the status of the implementation for the reduction and management of small arms and light weapons (SALW), a program designed to effectively address the proliferation of loose firearms in the Bangsamoro region, among others.
“Based on the agreements made by both panels during the meeting, we are confident that the Bangsamoro region will continue to be a beacon of hope, peace, and empowerment,” OPAPRU Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. said.