FILE: Moro Islamic Liberation Front release doves into the air as a gesture of peace in this file photo taken on Dec. 10, 2018. Former President Rodrigo Duterte on April 24, 2019 ordered the start of a decommissioning and reintegration process called normalization. Manman Dejeto, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Monday vowed that the government would fulfill its commitments under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, noting that this continues to "gain momentum."
In his video message for the 9th anniversary of the signing of the Bangsamoro Comprehensive Agreement, Marcos said his administration would work on the yields of the peace process, even though this is still "under construction."
"Under this administration, the political and normalization tracks of the peace agreement continue to gain momentum. Our partners in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) continue to deliver on their commitments in both tracks, with the recent passing of the critical Bangsamoro Electoral Code," Marcos said in his nearly 2-minute video.
"We in the national government will do our part to fulfill our commitments under the peace agreements and see its full implementation. We shall not waver from this," he added.
"Ipinagpapatuloy natin ang pagtaguyod ng kapayapaan hindi lang para sa Bangsamoro, kundi para rin sa isang Bagong Pilipinas - Mapayapa, Masagana, Nagkakaisa," he said.
In a separate statement, Marcos' peace adviser Isidro Purisima looked back at the signing of the document 9 years ago as a "triumphant moment" for the Bangsamoro people and the Filipinos.
He said this laid the foundation of Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), operationalizing it, and the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao.
The Bangsamoro Law is one of the requirements under a 2014 peace agreement between the government and MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group.
"However, what is most remarkable about the CAB is that it has given rise to a different breed of servant-leaders. Once considered military tacticians and grizzled fighters, they have now taken on a new mantle, and that is, of dedicated public servants," Purisima said.
Currently, he said, the government is implementing its "normalization program" under the accord, "which is helping former MILF combatants make the successful transition as peaceful and productive members of society."
Marcos, Jr. late last year vowed his government's "full and unwavering" support for the peace process in the Bangsamoro region.
Bangsamoro's transition period was extended for another 3 years after former President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11593 on October 28, 2021.
The law rescheduled the regional parliamentary elections in BARMM to 2025.
Video from Bongbong Marcos Facebook page