Five years after the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the Moro and non-Moro people in the new autonomous region are now gradually enjoying the peace dividends from the said agreement.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) which sets the legal foundation of the CAB, had been passed and ratified by the people. As an offshoot, a new autonomous region called the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is now in place, with a wider territory and with a stronger political structure reflective of the genuine sentiments of the inhabitants of the area.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the interim government, is now working under the leadership of the Moro revolutionary leaders and dedicated stakeholders.
On Friday, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will witness the official inauguration of the new parliamentary form of government in the Bangsamoro. Equally important, the President will also witness the official handover of the list of the MILF combatants who will be decommissioned and their weapons that will be put beyond use under the normalization track of the signed peace agreement.
Soon, the people who have felt the brunt of decades of armed conflict will be undergoing holistic transformation.
At the heart of the peace agreement is the transformation process, which covers not only the establishment of the BARMM, the creation of a new political structure, and the changing of the lives of the people in the area, but also providing social justice, healing, and reconciliation.
The Bangsamoro is now undergoing a renaissance period. A new dawn has finally emerged in the region.
As we move forward, let us not forget the martyrs in this struggle, the men and women who made this change possible. They made the ultimate sacrifice for the achievement of the milestones and developments the people in the new autonomous region will avail.
I encourage everyone to be on board the peace process and contribute to the success of all the signed Bangsamoro peace agreements. In this way we can truly bring to life the true meaning of the CAB.###
