MOTHER KABUNTALAN, MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE — The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Government, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Philippines launched the Assistance for Peace, Security, Integration and Recovery for Advancing Human Security (ASPIRE) Project here in the province on Wednesday, November 13.

The ASPIRE Project, which is being supported by the UNDP-Philippines and under the oversight of the Joint Normalization Committee (JNC), is designed to complement OPAPRU’s Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Program in the BARMM.

Community-driven initiative

In particular, ASPIRE aims to ensure the registration and stenciling of loose firearms in the Bangsamoro region. Aside from improving the security situation in the area, the initiative seeks to involve all members of the community in the collective effort.

“The crucial initiative aims to manage and control the small arms and light weapons in our communities,” Maguindanao del Norte Governor Abdulraof Macacua pointed out in his opening statement.

The ASPIRE Project likewises provides socio-economic assistance to individuals who take part in the initiative, giving them an incentive to register their undocumented firearms.

“We celebrate not only a program but a meaningful step forward in the journey we have collectively undertaken for the peace, the development, and security of the Bangsamoro government,” declared MP Ali Salik, a member of the MILF Peace Implementing Panel.

“We all agree that the presence of unauthorized weapons poses a serious threat to peace and stability in the region or any locality for that matter,” noted GPH Peace Implementing Panel Chairman and OPAPRU Presidential Assistant Cesar Yano.

“Today’s gathering highlights our significant progress in advancing the management of the Small Arms and Light Weapons or SALW Program, a major item in the Annex of Normalization,” he added.

“Our efforts have started to transform lives,” UNDP Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran pointed out.

Sustaining the gains of peace

The ASPIRE SALW Project aims to sustain and build on the gains it has achieved when it was launched in Basilan in October of last year.

The project is seen as a crucial component of the Normalization Program’s security component, as it directly complements the decommissioning process of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and their weapons.

“Reflecting on the ceremonial opening of ASPIRE in Basilan last year, I spoke of the necessity to extend (the project) throughout all areas of BARMM to realize our aspiration for a peaceful Bangsamoro,” said Minister Akmad Brahim, JNC co-Chair, who represented BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim during the event.

“The Bangsamoro government recognizes a critical rule of effectively managing small arms and light weapons, as we navigate the complexities of post-conflict disarmament and transition particularly in context with the decommissioning crisis in Mindanao,” Brahim added.

The event highlighted the challenges posed by the proliferation of unregistered firearms, as the region gears up for next year’s first regional parliamentary elections.

Presidential Assistant for the Bangsamoro Transformation David Diciano, who represented Presidential Peace Adviser Sec. Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., said: “In the light of the possibility that the 2025 Bangsamoro government elections would be reset to 2026, we must use the time left to fully prepare for the conduct of this historic political exercise.”

“Regardless of whether the election proceeds or is scheduled, we must be prepared for possible rise in security concerns,” Diciano underscored.

“The issue of loose firearms remains a source of great, significant concern for the citizens in the region,” remarked Minister Kenichi Matsuda of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.

From gunfire to laughter

Meanwhile, JNC co-Chair Mr. Ariel Hernandez echoed the Japanese government’s call to further strengthen the implementation of the ASPIRE Project.

“Everything is falling into their proper places. Walang kaduda-duda na tayo ay magsa-succeed. In the words of the good Minister Matsuda that the development of Maguindanao del Norte will not be any more (about) the sound of the guns but the laughter of prosperity for its people,” Hernandez said.

He, however, stressed that the successful implementation of the ASPIRE Project largely depends on the strong support coming from local chief executives in the region.

“Yung local executives po natin, sila po ang susi dito. ‘Pag hindi sineryoso ang program, mahihirapan po itong maging successful,” Hernandez said.

Aside from the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Basilan, Maguindanao del Sur has also been included as among the pilot areas of the ASPIRE Project. ###