The recently formed Multisectoral Peace Coalition urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reaffirm his administration’s commitment to the Bangsamoro peace process in his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 27.
It said such a statement from the President would send a strong signal that the Bangsamoro peace process remains a national priority amid the mounting challenges it is facing.
The Multisectoral Peace Coalition was formed early this month after holding a peace summit in Davao City to unite stakeholders in advancing the peace agenda, amid growing concerns that many of the commitments under the peace process remain unfulfilled.
Among the Coalition’s conveners are former peace adviser Teresita “Ging” Quintos-Deles; 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee and former peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer; former government peace panel member Yasmin Busran-Lao; Muslim rights advocate Amina Rasul-Bernardo; Tindig Pilipinas convener Kiko Aquino Dee; Josua Mata, secretary general of Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa; Gus Miclat, executive director of the Initiatives for International Dialogue; Guiamel Alim, founder of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society; and sectoral representatives from the Bangsamoro.
The Coalition earlier called on Mr. Marcos to meet with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leadership ahead of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) scheduled in September.
The Coalition believes that formal engagement between the government and the MILF should immediately resume, and that sustained dialogue between the two parties remains indispensable to advancing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) whatever the results of the parliamentary elections.
Government commitments
On July 20, the Coalition held a three-hour dialogue with Secretary Mel Senen S. Sarmiento, who now heads the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru). Sarmiento articulated important commitments from the government, including the reaffirmation that implementing the peace agreement should proceed in close coordination with the MILF rather than through unilateral government action.
The Coalition welcomed Opapru’s openness to restoring key peace process mechanisms, including the International Monitoring Team and the continued engagement of the Third Party Facilitator, all of which are encouraging steps toward rebuilding confidence in the implementation of the peace agreement.
“We welcome the commitments expressed during the dialogue,” Miclat said. “The important task now is translating those commitments into concrete action. Regular communication between the government and the MILF is essential to keeping implementation on track and addressing issues before they become larger obstacles to the peace process.”
Other priority concerns
The Coalition raised with Sarmiento other priority concerns requiring immediate attention, including: continued progress on normalization, camp transformation, and the delivery of peace dividends; accelerated rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons of the 2017 “Marawi Siege”; protection of the rights of non-Moro Indigenous Peoples; effective implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda; and sustained attention to governance issues, including the transition arrangements for Sulu.
The Coalition welcomed Sarmiento’s designation of a dedicated Opapru focal person for engagement with civil society. It said it views the move as an important step toward strengthening communication between government and peace stakeholders.
It emphasized that engagement with civil society should strengthen—not replace—the formal peace architecture established under the CAB. It also stressed the need to broaden participation beyond the usual peace advocates, noting that the Bangsamoro peace process is a national agenda that requires the support of all sectors.
“Our engagement with the government is not simply about maintaining dialogue,” Quintos-Deles said. “It is about ensuring that the peace process remains anchored on justice, inclusive development, and faithful implementation of the agreements that generations of Filipinos and Bangsamoro communities have worked so hard to achieve.”
“For us in the Bangsamoro,” Busran-Lao added, “peace is measured not only by the absence of conflict, but by the confidence that people continue talking, listening, and working together. Every dialogue that strengthens trust and partnership helps protect the gains of peace for future generations. We hope this conversation marks another meaningful step toward that shared future.”
The Coalition said it will continue to engage the government constructively while holding all parties accountable to their commitments under the peace agreement.
It said the peace process can only move forward through faithful implementation of the agreements, sustained dialogue between the parties, and the continued participation of the broader peace constituency. CONTRIBUTED
Read more: Peace advocates urge President Marcos to exercise leadership in Bangsamoro peace process
