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CAMP DARAPANAN, Maguindanao del Norte — Exactly 10 years ago on March 27, 2024, the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the concluding peace accord between the two parties.
The CAB, which halted more than 20 years of armed battle between the parties, subsequently sustaining the gains of the peace process.
Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod B. “Al-Haj Murad” Ebrahim underscored that the signing of the final peace agreement on March 27, 2014, paved the way to correcting historical injustices and dismantling oppressive systems, which then hindered the autonomous region and its people’s development.
“We have reached this point, hand in hand with our partner, the Government of the Philippines, so that we may be able to put an end to injustices and secure for ourselves and our posterity the much-desired peace and development by jointly implementing the provisions of the CAB,” said Ebrahim, who is also the MILF chairman, during the CAB’s 10th anniversary celebration her, Sultan Kudarat municipality.
He added that both the GPH and the MILF have since maintained their dedication to upgrading the living conditions of the Bangsamoro, leading to a path of economic security, stability, and success.
The Chief Minister also emphasized that the governance of the current regional administration resulted in the decline of poverty rates, increase in investments, availability of employment opportunities, and opening of economic activities, among others.
He highlighted the significant changes in the region’s status, particularly in terms of poverty incidence and economic growth.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) poverty incidence significantly decreased by 29.8 percent in 2021 from 54.20 percent in 2018, accompanied by a 56 percent increase in investment, indicating a notable improvement.
In January 2024, the country’s employment rate is estimated at 95.5 percent, marking a significant increase of 0.3 percent compared to last year’s 95.2 percent. This highlights the region’s significant contribution to the national employment data.
BARMM, alongside Cagayan Valley, recorded in the same month the lowest unemployment rate in the whole Philippines, both at 2.9 percent, which means that more job opportunities are afforded to the Bangsamoro people.
Bangsamoro Director-General Eng’r. Mohajirin Ali of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) reported on March 22 at the University of the Philippines (UPD)-Diliman that the growth between 2018 and 2021 was “more inclusive” in BARMM.
“Upholding peace, justice, and security across the region”
“Poorer percentiles experience higher growth rates compared to the richer ones, aligning with the average growth rate around the middle-income level,” Ali said.
Office of the Presidential Peace Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. stressed that the CAB demonstrates its signatories’ collective vision in building a brighter future for the BARMM.
“For the GPH, the CAB symbolizes its desire to uplift the lives of the Bangsamoro people and transform their areas into peaceful, progressive, and resilient communities,” he added.
Galvez further reiterated the September 2022 speech of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., saying, “The peace process in the Bangsamoro is a cornerstone of the National Government’s peace policy agenda.”
“It is a shining example of how peace agreements should be carried out — inclusive, holistic, and people-centered,” he continued.
Both government leaders urged their co-public servants and the entire Bangsamoro populace to spontaneously work and exert efforts on ensuring the peace and progress of their homeland — the BARMM.
Upholding peace, justice, and security across the region is the 11th priority agenda of Chief Minister Ebrahim.
The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the Special Geographic Area’s (SGA) 63 barangays or villages that voted “Yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; undivided Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur. — (Johamin Inok/BIO) (✓)