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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Mindanao devider MILF supporters urge gov't to continue implementing all peace accords

MILF supporters urge gov't to continue implementing all peace accords

Published Jun 26, 2026 05:17 pm
MILF supporters rally in Cotabato City. (Bangsamoro Multimedia Network)
MILF supporters rally in Cotabato City. (Bangsamoro Multimedia Network)
DAVAO CITY – Supporters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) pressed the government to continue honoring and implementing the peace agreement amid the political tensions hounding the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
A group known as Recover BARMM Movement (RBM) has reiterated its call to the government to implement the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), and all signed peace agreements.
On Thursday, June 25, thousands of MILF supporters rallied in front of the Bangsamoro Government Center in Cotabato City and criticized the government for alleged intervention in the internal affairs of the BARMM government.
The MILF supporters, coming from different parts of Central Mindanao, occupied the entire stretch of the kilometer-long road leading to the BARMM compound.
Aside from Cotabato City, thousands of MILF supporters in Lanao del Sur gathered in Marawi City to join the call.
In a manifesto released to the media, RBM expressed concern on the political developments in the region, claiming that it does not only threaten the integrity of the peace process but could also undermine the spirit of the Bangsamoro peace agreements.
“The Bangsamoro peace process was built upon decades of sacrifices, countless lives lost, and the unwavering commitment of generations of Bangsamoro leaders and communities who struggled for justice, genuine autonomy, and self-determination,” said the MILF-affiliated group.
The group called for the reinstatement of MILF Chairman Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim as the interim chief minister of the BARMM.
On March 2025, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. appointed Abdulraof Macacua as the new interim chief minister, replacing Ebrahim who held the post since BARMM was formed in 2019, catching the Bangsamoro community by surprise.
Macacua was then chief of the staff of the MILF armed wing Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF).
However, due to some controversies involving the MILF leadership and Macacua, he was suspended as BIAF chief early this month.
For RBM, Ebrahim must be reinstated as he “remains the foremost symbol of the Bangsamoro peace process” in respect to his role and contributions to the Bangsamoro struggle.
The group also called on the government to restore the leadership of the MILF in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.
The MILF, according to RBM, remains the principal signatory to the peace agreement.
“The Bangsamoro Transition Authority must reflect the spirit, mandate, and political reality envisioned in the peace process,” it added.
The MILF has questioned composition of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority as some of its members were not recommended by the MILF.
The MILF said that the Bangsamoro Organic Law states that 40 BTA members shall be recommended by the MILF. Thirty-nine others will be recommended by the government.
However, when the BTA’s term was extended after the 2025 elections, seven of those appointed by Marcos did not reportedly come from the MILF list.
RBM urged the government to appoint a chairperson in the peace implementing panel.
The government has yet to designate a new peace panel chairperson following the resignation of Cesar Yano last January.
RBM said that the absence of a peace panel chair slowed down the implementation of important commitments under the peace agreement.
The Bangsamoro people deserve action, not neglect, the group pointed out.

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Davao City MILF BARMM
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