Peace Process Among Rebel Groups

The Philippines is an archipelago comprising approximately 7,000

islands, among these islands, the largest one is Luzon (where the
capital, Manila, is situated), and the second largest is Mindanao.
Together with Timor-Leste, the Philippines is the only Asian country
with a majority Christian population.
King Philip II of Spain, in whose service Magellan was sailing across
the world when he arrived at the archipelago in 1521, After three
centuries as a Spanish colony, the Philippines were handed over the
United States in 1898. The fact that Spain never actually acquired
possession of Mindanao has far-reaching implications. In 1946, the
Philippines were the first Asian country to gain independence without
an armed struggle.
Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
signed an agreement to terminate an armed war that began in 1969
and resulted in more than 120,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands
of forcibly displaced persons, the Comprehensive Deal on the
Bangsamoro has been the most important peace agreement signed
around the world.

Peace Agreements
The talks began in 1997 with an agreement on a general cease-fire.
The parties outlined a negotiation agenda in the
Tripoli Agreement (2001) that included three primary elements:
security (which had already been agreed upon in 2001), humanitarian
response, rehabilitation, and development (agreed in 2002), and
ancestral territories (2008)
The agreement’s major axis is the creation of the Bangsamoro, a new
self-governing state that will replace the existing Autonomous Region
of Muslim Mindanao after a transition overseen by the MILF. The
accord envisions a reform process in the future autonomous area that
will see a parliamentary system replace the presidential
administration that controls the rest of the country (Mindanao Peace
Process, n.d.). The goal of this pact is to encourage the formation of
thematic political parties.

The “Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro” is what it’s

called. At the time of Spanish invasion and colonization, the
Bangsamoro were considered natives or original residents of the
southern Philippines. Bangsamoro people are acknowledged as their
descendants and spouses

Bangsa is a local word that means nation. Moro is derived from

the Spanish colonial term “Moors,” which was used to refer to
Muslims.

AUTONOMY: The MILF abandons its claims to a separate state in

Mindanao’s southern area in favor of parliamentary autonomy in the
Bangsamoro autonomous region.

DISARMAMENT: The MILF will “gradually” decommission its forces

and place the weapons “beyond use,” with a local police unit taking
over law enforcement tasks from the Philippine police and military

POWERS: On defense, foreign policy, money, and citizenship, the

Philippine government will retain exclusive authority

TAXES/REVENUES: The autonomous administration will get 75% of

all local taxes and levies, 75% of metallic resource revenues, and
control over fishing regions up to 12 nautical miles from the coast

ISLAMIC LAW: The region will be governed by a secular

administration rather than an Islamic state. Only Muslims will be
subject to Sharia law, and it will only apply to civil cases, not criminal
acts. Basic rights to life, travel, privacy, and freedom of religion and
speech are guaranteed to all residents
TERRITORY: To span five provinces in the south, as well as two
cities, six towns, and 39 villages, accounting for nearly 10% of the
Philippines’ total land area

ENABLING LAW: By the end of the year, Aquino will seek parliament
to enact a “Bangsamoro Basic Law” for the autonomous region
(Philippines signs historic peace pact with Muslim rebel, n.d.).

PLEBISCITE: In a plebiscite to be held in 2015, people living in

territories to be included in the autonomous region will need to ratify
the law (Philippines signs historic peace pact with Muslim rebel, n.d.).

TRANSITIONAL AUTHORITY: After the plebiscite approves and

ratifies the basic law, the territory will be governed by a 15-member
“Bangsamoro Transition Authority” until a regional parliament is
elected.

ELECTIONS: In May 2016, a regional parliament with 50

representatives will be elected in conjunction with national elections
(Key points on Philippine Muslim peace pact, rebels ...., n.d.).

Implementation Challenges
Despite the positive developments, the implementation of the peace
agreement is facing multiple obstacles.
 The first constraint is time. The government was able to link the
transitional period to the conclusion of the presidential term in
May 2016 during the Framework Agreement negotiations in
2012
 The delay is shared responsibility. On the one hand, the
insurgency lacks enough qualified and trustworthy people to
shoulder all of the transitional obligations.
 The rise of armed groups is the most serious security issue
(Peace Process in Mindanao, n.d.). One explanation is that in
the Philippines, possessing guns is legal as long as a person is
at least 21 years old and passes a background check before
being awarded a Possession License. Meanwhile, successive
governments have failed in their attempts to disband
paramilitary groups run by local politicians.
  Other challenges are inherent in any process of transitioning
from a state of conflict to one of peace (Peace Process In
Mindanao, n.d.). In addition to political will, the government
needs to prove its capacity to transform words into deeds,
which has been historically proven to be a challenge.
Several arrangements that will most likely figure in the
discussions on political systems include any or a mix of the
following:
1. A structure separation from the existing political system for the
development of MILF communities; integration of MILF troops
into the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the Philippine
National Police; and strengthening institutions for “personal
autonomy,” such as Islamic education and Sharia law.
2. Areas constituted as special zones, such as Swiss cantons,
where Muslims can exercise a high degree of self-determination.
3. A new and expanded autonomous region with additional
powers.
4. A Muslim state under the federal system of government.
5. An independent state where Muslims are the majority.
Conclusion
The following components of the peace process must be
strengthened:

 Both sides must build a national consensus on the roadmap

agreed upon during the negotiations by conducting additional
consultations on the issues discussed in the negotiations. The
government must reach out to the leaders of the Christian
majority, particularly members of Congress and local officials.
The MILF must reach out to the MNLF and traditional Muslim
leaders.
 Christian and Muslim religious leaders must take the lead in
rallying their people to support the peace process. The Bishop-
Ulama Forum, a conference of Christian and Muslim religious
leaders in the Philippines, must be actively involved in
harnessing this support.
 The government and MILF must provide strong and effective
mechanisms for the implementation of the peace pact. A neutral
third party must be present to oversee faithful compliance of
Manila and the MILF with the terms of the agreement directly.
 Funding for implementation must be identified and allocated in a way
that insulates it from partisan and personal interests of any group or
party.