Executives at the Mindanao Development Forum (MDF) warned that the current ‘impasse’ in the normalization process could hinder Mindanao’s development, urging the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and government peace panels to hold talks to resolve the issue.
This was expressed by Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Leo Tereso Magno and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua in a press briefing during the two-day MDF on Wednesday.
European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro, who outlined the EU’s assistance to Mindanao-including full support for normalization and the transition of former MILF combatants away from arms-said the process must continue until the desired results are achieved.
‘While the peace process is not under my office’s purview, normalization is a concern for MinDA because it affects the development we aim to achieve in Mindanao,’ Magno said.
‘I hope all concerned agencies, as proposed by the national government, will sit down again. There’s no alternative to a peaceful dialogue to address the issues in normalization,’ he added.
Macacua acknowledged that while challenges remain, these must be resolved as the peace implementation nears completion.
‘Although we have to admit there’s a problem, it must be addressed because we are now at the finish line of implementation,’ he said. ‘It’s only right that we talk. If we managed to do it before, why can’t we do it now?’
Jokingly, Macacua said that as the chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, he still has to undergo decommissioning and is waiting for his turn.
He said both peace-implementing panels of the government and the MILF could discuss the issue in a ‘very cordial manner,’ expressing hope that, with the help of the Inter-Government Relations Body and the president, the matter will be addressed.
The normalization process reached an impasse when the MILF central committee suspended the decommissioning of its remaining 14,000 combatants, citing delays in the delivery of the promised socio-economic packages.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity refuted this claim.
Magno said the issue has two sides, and both must come to the table to talk things through