Featured image shows MILF PIP Chair Mohagher M. Iqbal is at the center. At extreme left is his government counterpart in the Bangsamoro peace process, Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer. Others are fellow peacemakers and advocates. (Photo: SDN)
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COTABATO CITY — Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Implementing Panel Chairman and Bangsamoro Education Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal has received glowing recognition from some Moro professionals, thanking him for his able and decisive leadership
Iqbal is minister of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), one of the 15 primary ministries of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). He is also the chief negotiator of the MILF for many years.
Here’s what they say:
The Steadfast Architect of the Bangsamoro Peace
Behind every classroom built in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and every policy drafted in the Parliament lies a foundation of peace that took decades to build. MP Mohagher Iqbal is not just a leader in name; he is the architect who helped bridge the gap between conflict and governance.
As Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Panel, Minister Iqbal was instrumental in securing the Framwork Agreement (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). These aren’t just documents — they are the blueprints of our autonomy.
Today, as he steers the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), and the IGRB (as its Co-chair), he is doing the hard, quiet work of “normalization”—turning the promises of the peace process into the reality of quality education and stable intergovernmental relations between the BARMM and the National Government.
In times of political noise, let us remember the track record of a man who has consistently chosen the path of peace, diplomacy, patience, and the long-term future of our children. (Taher Guiambangan Solaiman)
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Leadership Forged in Decades of Sacrifice, Negotiation, and Unyielding Commitment to Peace
This is a narrative of conviction. A declaration of where we stand as Bangsamoro at a time when the very soul of our hard-won autonomy is being tested.
Minister Mohagher M. Iqbal’s leadership is not a product of convenience, popularity, or political maneuvering. It is forged in decades of sacrifice, negotiation, and unyielding commitment to peace. Long before positions, ministries, or budgets existed, he stood at the frontlines of dialogue, facing a national government that once viewed him and the movement (MILF) he represented with suspicion, hostility, and outright rejection. He endured that hatred not for personal gain, but for the future of a battered homeland longing for dignity.
Today, it is painful, and deeply alarming, to witness a systematic and calculating effort by peace hijackers to personally assassinate his credibility. Unable to defeat his principles, they now bark at his Ministry, the MBHTE, dragging ministerial inner issues into the open without regard for the consequences this recklessness brings to the Bangsamoro’s future. These are not acts of reform. These are acts of sabotage.
Instead of strengthening institutions, they deliberately magnify petty issues. Instead of offering solutions, they run to media platforms to sensationalize narratives of failure, painting themselves as flawless leaders, as if they have never erred, never mismanaged, never faltered. This hypocrisy is glaring. Some of these very voices have once held government agencies, controlled public funds, and made decisions that also affected lives. Yet today, they conveniently forget their own records while collaborating to tear down a man whose life has been synonymous with the peace struggle.
What makes this assault even more tragic is its timing and intent. At a moment when the Bangsamoro needs unity, maturity, and institutional protection, they choose division. At a time when education, governance, and social healing require collective responsibility, they choose character assassination. This is not criticism rooted in love for the Bangsamoro, this is ambition disguised as concern.
They know they cannot kill Minister Iqbal’s principles. They cannot erase his role in shaping the autonomy we now enjoy. They cannot deny that the Bangsamoro government stands on foundations he helped build with blood, patience, and dialogue. So instead, they target his Ministry. They weaponize minor issues. They attempt to exhaust his spirit, to weaken his resolve, to strip him of the moral authority he earned through decades of service.
But the Bangsamoro people are not blind.
We know who stood firm when peace was fragile. We know who carried the burden when compromise was painful. We know who chose negotiation over war, institutions over chaos, and future generations over personal comfort.
This is not just about defending a Minister. This is about defending the integrity of the Bangsamoro peace process. This is about rejecting the politics of destruction and embracing the responsibility of nation-building. Leadership is not proven by how loudly one attacks, but by how steadfast one remains when the storms come.
Minister Mohagher Iqbal has weathered storms far greater than this. And as Bangsamoro supporters, we stand not because he is perfect, but because his dedication is unquestionable, his sacrifices undeniable, and his commitment to this homeland unwavering.
The Bangsamoro was born out of struggle. It will not be sustained by noise, envy, or betrayal, but by principled leadership, collective accountability, and an unbreakable belief in peace. (Naima Bhabes R. Basher)