“The agreement (2014 CAB) represents a shared vision of peace, shaped by extensive dialogues and a sincere desire for mutual understanding.”
— MILF Chief Negotiator Mohagher M. Iqbal
Short link: https://wp.me/paaccn-Nla
- EDD K. USMAN | X (Twitter): @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 |Facebook: SDN – SciTech & Digital News
(SDN) — MOHAGHER M. IQBAL! PROF. MIRIAM CORONEL-FERRER!
Successful peacemakers. Chief negotiators, respectively, of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Philippines (GPH) in the Mindanao peace process that took all of 17 years.
So, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the longest time, you would know who Iqbal and Coronel-Ferrer are in the annals of the Philippines’ journey to peace.
Of course, there were those who preceded them, the Moro front’s first chief negotiator was then-MILF Vice Chairman and now-Chair and Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) Commander-in-Chief Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim. Iqbal replaced Ebrahim when he succeeded as MILF chair after the passing of the group’s founder and chair, Ustadhz Salamat Hashim, on July 13, 2003, in Butig, Lanao del Sur.
Before Coronel-Ferrer, a professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) in Quezon City, Metro Manila, there was, among them, retired Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Gacia (former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Rafael Seguis and Marvic Leonen, also a UPD professor and now-senior associate justice of the Supreme Court.
The GPH-MILF peace negotiations, which according to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) started in 1996 — that’s 29 years ago — during the then-President Fidel V. Ramos’s administration, went through a gauntlet of major wars and skirmishes, rivers of blood, peace panel disbandment, walkouts, compromises, re-engagements, Senate and House hearings, recriminations, among others.
For in their hands, lie Mindanao’s peace and security and of the whole Philippines.
But as always, professional negotiators they were/are, the two parties always returned to the peace table through with the able guidance and assistance of the third-party facilitator, Malaysia, a member of the 57-States Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Let’s not forget either the vital role of then then-Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) headed then by former AFP General Eduardo Ermita, civil society stalwart Ging Deles, and former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Hermogenes Esperon.
Presently, OPAPRU is headed by former retired General Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., also a former chief of staff during Duterte’s administration.
Remember that the GPH-MILF peace process went through several presidents — Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Benigno S. Aquino III, and Rodrigo R. Duterte, the latter known as the “father” of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for his political will — braving strong opposition currents as he stirred the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in 2018, leading to the creation of the new Bangsamoro region.
OPAPRU commends and thanks MILF for the Bangsamoro peace process
Now, as the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr. started the Mindanao peace process with the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, it now lies in the hands of the son, incumbent President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. the full implementation of the CAB, which also took cognizance of the Tripoli Agreement as well as the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) between the GPH and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Of course, after several changes in the government’s chief negotiators, the burden of unraveling the labyrinthine peace process fell in the hands of Coronel-Ferrer, she with the academic background which she apparently parlayed into a firm negotiator.
To make a long story short, after 17 years of hard negotiations, Iqbal and Coronel-Ferrer signed on March 27, 2014, in Malacanang the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) which stopped the bleeding of rivers of blood in Mindanao and brought what has been an elusive peace for decades of peace talks.
The GPH and the MNLF signed on September 2, 1996, the FPA by chief negotiators Manuel Yan and Founding Chair Prof. Nur Misuari, respectively.
On March 27, the CAB reached its 11th year milestone, and it was not lost on the GPH and the MILF.
He described the CAB milestone as a “historic moment” and the result of several “years of dedicated effort, patient negotiations, and unwavering determination to achieve lasting peace and justice for the Bangsamoro people.”
Now a member of the BARMM Parliament and minister of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), one of the Bangsamoro government’s 15 primary organs of governance, said the 2014 peace pact is not just a piece of paper but a symbol of courage and perseverance of those who were involved in crafting it — including the BARMM communities, peace negotiators and MILF peace panel’s counterparts in the GPH.
“The agreement represents a shared vision of peace, shaped by extensive dialogues and a sincere desire for mutual understanding,” Iqbal emphasizes.
In his own message on the CAB’s milestone of 11 years, Galvez said the agreement is “more than a document…an embodiment of the hopes and dreams of the Bangsamoro people; a realization of their collective aspiration to chart the future of their beloved homeland.”
He adds, “The landmark peace deal is a testament that such agreements can be successfully implemented if they are anchored on the principles of inclusivity, equality, and social justice.”
Galvez reaffirms his commitment to the President’s “unwavering support to the Bangsamoro peace process.”
“We commend and thank the MILF leadership and your people for their unwavering commitment to the Bangsamoro peace process, and for walking side by side with the national government in this remarkable peace journey.”
MILF PIP Chair Iqbal’s message:
𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐪𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐀𝐁
“Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu.
“Today marks the 11th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). This historic moment is the result of many years of dedicated effort, patient negotiations, and unwavering determination to achieve lasting peace and justice for the Bangsamoro people.
“The CAB isn’t just a piece of paper—it symbolizes the courage and perseverance of everyone involved, from our Bangsamoro communities and peace negotiators to our counterparts in the Philippine Government. The agreement represents a shared vision of peace, shaped by extensive dialogues and a sincere desire for mutual understanding.
“We remember the significance of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB), signed in 2012, which served as the foundation for the CAB. Together with its four critical Annexes—Transition Modalities, Wealth-sharing, Power-sharing, and Normalization—, these documents laid the path toward realizing our collective aspirations for peace, autonomy, and development.
“On this meaningful occasion, we sincerely thank the Philippine Government for their commitment and sincerity throughout this peace process. Our gratitude also goes to the international community, whose steadfast support and encouragement have greatly eased the challenges we faced. Your partnership has been invaluable.
“To our fellow Bangsamoro brothers and sisters, we are deeply grateful for your resilience, patience, and enduring faith. Your sacrifices remind us daily of our responsibilities to honor our commitments.
Moving forward, let us remain steadfast in the guiding principles of our peace process with the Philippine Government—principles built upon mutual respect, inclusivity, fairness, and sincerity. Honoring the commitments outlined in the CAB is essential for effective governance and fostering enduring peace and prosperity throughout the Bangsamoro region.
“May this 11th anniversary renew our resolve, strengthen our unity, and inspire continued collaboration among all sectors. Together, we can ensure that the CAB’s vision and promises are fulfilled, bringing lasting benefits to future generations. Thank you, and may Allah guide us all toward lasting peace and prosperity.”
While there’s still much to be implemented in the CAB, let us hope Marcos, the son, remains committed with what Galvez described as the President’s “unwavering support to the Bangsamoro peace process.” (/)
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The author
EDD, a native of Sub-Saharan Africa Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (@)