COTABATO CITY (PIA) — The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), a peace accord that has led to the establishment of BARMM.
Speaking at the 10th anniversary celebration of the signing of the CAB at the Headquarters of the 1st Marine Brigade, Barangay Tugaig, Municipality of Barira in Maguindanao del Norte on April 29, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. emphasized that the CAB serves as a testament to sustainable progress and harmony not just in BARMM but also in the whole country.
“The CAB is a testament to our collective vision for sustainable progress and harmony, not only within the Bangsamoro region and Mindanao but all throughout the archipelago,” the president said.
On March 27, 2014, the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed the CAB, which has led to the achievement of numerous milestones in its political and normalization programs 10 years after its signing.
“Sa ikasampung anibersaryo sa paglagda ng CAB, ipinangako natin na hindi na tayo papayag na dadanas muli ng karahasan ang ating mga anak,” Marcos said.
(On the 10th anniversary of the CAB signing, we promise that we will never allow our children to suffer violence again.)
Lea Dimas, 36, of Barangay Tugaig said the CAB has brought peace and development to the area.
“Malaking impact na nagkasundo ang MILF at gobyerno ng Pilipinas, dahi duon naging mapayapa na dito sa amin. Maganda po ang naging dulot nito sa amin dito sa aming lugar kasi tahimik na po at mapayapa na dito sa amin,” she said.
(The agreement between the MILF and the Philippine government had a significant impact, leading to a peaceful environment for us. It has brought us good things here in our area because it is now quiet and peaceful here.)
Under the peace agreement, two important undertakings are present—the political and the normalization tracks. The former ensures meaningful self-governance for the Bangsamoro, leading to the creation of the Bangsamoro government as a new and democratic political entity, while the latter centers on the transformation of conflict-affected areas into peaceful and progressive communities, highlighting gradual normalization.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez underscored that the CAB has heralded the start of peace and development in the region through different programs and projects.
“I was reminded by the guidance of our president during the 17th IGRB (Intergovernmental Relations Body) meeting that peace is neither found in the documents we have exchanged nor in the elegant prose of our agreements. But peace for our people is found in jobs created, schools opened, farms irrigated, new hospitals opened, roads constructed, and businesses launched,” Galvez said.
The political agenda of the CAB has also led to the creation of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority’s (BTA) parliament.
As of writing, the BTA parliament has passed the Administrative Code, Education Code, Civil Service Code, Electoral Code, and Local Governance Codes, as well as the Revenue and Indigenous Peoples Codes.
The Bangsamoro government decommissioned 26,132 combatants as a result of the normalization efforts under the CAB and provided them with some socio-economic assistance and other beneficial help.
Furthermore, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim emphasized that the CAB’s signing paved the way for the establishment of the BARMM government, which has resulted in a decline in poverty rates in the region.
He said that BARMM has been able to increase investments, resulting in P3.7 billion and a total job generation of 1,155, the opening of economic activities, and generally, uplifting the lives of all the Bangsamoro people.
“The MILF-led BARMM has epitomized the virtues of moral governance in the region. We have one vision: the Bangsamoro that is united, enlightened, self-governing, peaceful, just, morally upright, and progressive,” Ebrahim said. (LTB – PIA Cotabato City)
