MILF peace deal awaits Marcos-Murad meeting
The proposed final Exit Agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) remains pending as Malacañang works to arrange a meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Tuesday, 20 October, that preparations for the meeting were underway, although no date had been announced.
Murad requested the meeting in a letter dated 1 October to discuss outstanding commitments under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
The proposed talks come as approximately 14,000 former MILF combatants await the final phase of decommissioning, a key component of the peace agreement.
President Marcos has already met with Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua and other regional political leaders following the historic 14 September parliamentary elections.
However, Murad, whose organization signed the peace agreement with the government, has yet to hold the requested meeting with the President.
The elections produced a fragmented 80-seat Bangsamoro Parliament, with Macacua's Bangsamoro Federalist Party securing 31 seats, followed by the MILF-backed United Bangsamoro Justice Party with 30 and the BARMM Grand Coalition with 15.
No single party secured the 41 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.
The incoming Parliament is scheduled to assume office on 30 October, marking another stage in the region's transition to an elected government.
Meanwhile, civil society groups have urged Marcos and Murad to settle the remaining peace commitments before the administration ends in June 2028.
Mindanao State University political scientist Yasmira Moner has warned that leaving the peace process unfinished could jeopardize progress toward a lasting settlement.
The proposed Exit Agreement is intended to mark the completion of remaining obligations under the peace process, which traces its history to the 1976 Tripoli Agreement signed during the administration of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Nearly five decades later, the government and MILF face renewed pressure to complete decommissioning and other commitments needed to sustain peace in the Bangsamoro region.