GPH, MILF to craft a single communications roadmap

DAVAO CITY – The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have started the initial steps in crafting a single communications roadmap to ensure that the public fully understands the Bangsamoro peace process.

In an unprecedented move, the chairpersons of the implementing panels of the government and the MILF, along with communications specialists, met on June 7-8 to work jointly on a common communication plan. The two-day workshop was facilitated and funded by The Asia Foundation.

Irene M. Santiago, Chair of the Philippine Government Implementing Panel, said that it is important that the public support the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in order to begin the full implementation of the peace agreement signed by the government and the MILF in 2014.

Mohagher Iqbal, the chair of the MILF’s implementing panel, described the fresh effort as “complementation of the implementation” process of the peace agreement that the two sides have forged.

“There is a lot of opportunity here. The two parties have come together to work on a plan to convey their messages to the public effectively.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, who provided his insights on the programs of the Duterte administration to the joint panels during the meeting, said there is a need for a healthy public discourse on the Bangsamoro peace process.

“The joint communications planning of the government and the MILF is very important so that our messages are aligned,” Abella said.  “There is a pressing need to provide accurate information about the draft law when it is submitted to Congress for the public to understand it and support it,” he said.

Abella said President Duterte, who is from Mindanao, is serious in advancing the Bangsamoro peace process.

President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to honor all Bangsamoro peace agreements signed by previous administrations. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has created a Peace and Development Roadmap to address the political clamor of the insurgent groups in the country.

Under the government peace roadmap for the Bangsamoro, it is planned that all peace agreements with the Bangsamoro will be harmonized into the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Once approved, the BBL would establish a new political entity, replacing the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).