“If bringing a centuries long conflict to an end is not a historic move for peace, it is difficult to imagine what is.

The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is getting accolades from several countries and institutions, including the United Nations, which called it a landmark achievement.

The European Union (EU), which had crossed paths with President Rody Duterte regarding human rights, praised the passage of the law as “an opportunity for the Filipino people to embrace peace and stability after decades of strife.”

“It comes after 21 years of formal talks after the first ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front,” the EU said.

While likely farthest from Rody’s mind, a Nobel Peace Prize for him is a possibility as more groups now consider his pivotal role in the signing of the autonomy law that is key to achieving elusive peace in Mindanao.

The prestigious award was a key consideration if not obsession of his predecessor Noynoy Aquino but which vanished in the air after the monumental blunder which was the Oplan Exodus of 2015 that resulted in the death of 44 police commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

Rody clinched the enactment of the law with only one objective which was to end the historical injustice suffered by the Moro people.

Being a resident of Mindanao and having a Moro lineage were also instrumental in convincing rebels of his sincerity in the autonomy law.

Rody took the proverbial extra mile as he now called on the terror group Abu Sayyaf to sit with him on the negotiating table.

Adam Garrie, a geo-political expert at regional political site Eurasiafuture, said Rody “should seriously be considered as a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

“If bringing a centuries long conflict to an end is not a historic move for peace, it is difficult to imagine what is,” Garrie said.

He added the conflict in Mindanao is among the longest running internal strife in the world that ranks along with those in Myanmar, the Kashmir conflict and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“However, in many respects, the long-standing Moro conflict in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao has raged for far longer,” Garrie said.

“While Duterte remains committed to a federal structure for the entire nation, the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law was of particular importance as it looks to end a cycle of distrust, violence and political uncertainty that has plagued the region for far too long,” he said.

Another key accomplishment in the signing of the Bangsamoro law is the expected weakening of the Islamic State (IS) influence in Mindanao.

The five-month siege of Marawi City by IS-inspired groups frightened the whole region over the prospect of terror group’s center of operations from the Middle East to the Philippines.

The IS threat was contained mainly as a result of Rody’s decisive move of imposing martial law in Mindanao on the day the IS groups launched their attack on Marawi City.

The move resulted in preventing terror groups from spreading its reach outside the occupied city.

“Duterte’s implementation of martial law in Mindanao has helped to liberate Marawi while he has also offered an amnesty for poor Moros who joined terror groups out of desperation, so long as such wayward individuals renounce violence and join with legitimate political factions in the pursuit of enforcing law and order,” Garrie said.

“In delivering the Bangsamoro Organic Law, Duterte has proved yet again that his tough, unwavering stance on delivering his election promises has ultimately been in the service of peace,” he added.

Rody has taken the same path in his other policies such as the war on drugs and his independent foreign policy.

Garrie attributed Rody’s success in forging the Bangsamoro deal in just two years of his term to “his persistence, his ability to communicate with all sides in the dispute and his ability to demonstrate that a better life for all Filipinos is far more important than any personal matters of ego or personal enrichment.”

In staying true to what he seeks for Filipinos from the start, Rody is achieving milestones earlier thought impossible such as ending the narcotics menace and granting Mindanao lasting peace.

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