KL breakthrough: Bangsamoro peace process back on track
COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro peace process is now back on track, with the parties ironing out key next steps for implementing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
On Friday, the peace implementing panels of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) approved the terms of reference of a technical working group that will draw up a roadmap for implementing the remaining provisions of the CAB, following the conclusion of the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.
The decision came out of a special meeting of the panels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, according to a joint statement signed by GPH Peace Implementing Panel Chair Mel Senen Sarmiento and his MILF counterpart, Mohagher Iqbal.
The panels said the meeting built on the parties’ renewed commitment to implement the CAB in light of recent developments in its political track with the holding of the Sept. 14 regional elections.
The Kuala Lumpur meeting came six months after the MILF leadership halted its engagement with the government in relation to CAB implementation.
Ceasefire mechanisms
During the special meeting, the panels renewed the mandate of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (Ahjag) until Sept. 25, 2027, and of the Civilian Protection Component (CPC) until Sept. 25, 2028.
Ahjag is the mechanism for joint law enforcement in former rebel stronghold communities, giving premium to coordination in order to prevent undue provocation with MILF combatants who are awaiting decommissioning.
CPC seeks to shield communities from hostilities as they embark on postconflict development actions.
On security, the panels agreed in principle to a proposed GPH-MILF Framework for the Small Arms and Light Weapons Management (SALW-M) Program. They directed the Technical Working Group on the Reduction and Management of SALW to finalize it, taking into account the disbandment of private armed groups and the decommissioning of combatants, among other matters.
The framework will go to the Joint Normalization Committee for endorsement before returning to the panels for approval.
The panels also agreed to keep the proposed revitalization of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) and the recommendations on putting weapons beyond use on their agenda for further discussion.
The IMT is a Malaysian-led multinational force deployed in Mindanao to oversee implementation of the parties’ ceasefire accord.
Transitional justice
The panels adopted Resolution No. 3, series of 2026, of the Technical Working Group on Transitional Justice and Reconciliation (TWG-TJR), which proposes enhancements to the bills filed in the 20th Congress seeking to create the National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission for the Bangsamoro.
The resolution remains subject to refinements from a “writeshop,” which the panels directed the TWG-TJR to conduct immediately. Members of the Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum and other stakeholders would be invited.
The panels also signed an addendum to their decision points on the socioeconomic development program for the decommissioned combatants and the six previously acknowledged camps of the MILF.
The addendum adopts an integrated, beneficiary-centered mode of delivery to speed up agreed socioeconomic interventions for decommissioned combatants.
The parties thanked President Marcos; the Malaysian government under Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim; Third Party Facilitator and/or Special Adviser Gen. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Panglima Ts. Hj. Zulkifli bin Hj. Zainal Abidin (Ret.); MILF Chair Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim and the MILF Central Committee; Secretary Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo Jr. of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President; the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity; and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority under Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua.
They also acknowledged the International Contact Group, composed of the governments of Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and the United Kingdom, along with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, the Community of Sant’Egidio, Conciliation Resources and Muhammadiyah, as well as the Third Party Monitoring Team.
