PBBM admin accelerates normalization plan for Bangsamoro peace process

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is pushing to advance the decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and accelerate normalization commitments under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, senior administration officials announced Wednesday.

Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Anton Lagdameo Jr. highlighted the renewed peace push following the inaugural Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections held on 14 September 2026, citing that national attention has shifted to completing outstanding commitments under the 2014 peace agreement.

The momentum follows a 25 September 2026 meeting between the Government of the Philippines and MILF Peace Implementing Panels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

During the talks, both delegations signed a Declaration of Continuity of the Partnership and approved terms of reference for a joint technical working group tasked with establishing an updated implementation roadmap.

A substantial portion of the decommissioning program remains to be completed. Verified panel figures indicate that 26,145 of the target 40,000 MILF combatants—or 65.4 percent—have been decommissioned, along with 4,625 of 7,200 weapons.

The fourth and final phase, covering approximately 14,000 combatants and 2,450 weapons, was deferred by the MILF in 2025 over implementation concerns regarding promised socioeconomic packages before joint panel engagements resumed in August 2026.

Lagdameo stressed that normalization encompasses broader community interventions beyond weapons disposition, including socioeconomic development, security arrangements, the disbandment of private armed groups, and transitional justice.

"These initiatives are intended to help former combatants and their families establish sustainable civilian livelihoods," Lagdameo said, adding that completing the peace commitments is a primary benchmark for regional stability.

To streamline delivery, the joint panels adopted an integrated, beneficiary-centered approach covering decommissioned combatants and six acknowledged MILF camps.

The national government has invested over P4 billion in socioeconomic support since 2019, providing P100,000 in transitional cash assistance to each decommissioned combatant alongside health insurance, civil registration support, and vocational training.

During the Kuala Lumpur meeting, both parties also extended the mandate of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group through 25 September 2027, and the Civilian Protection Component through 25 September 2028.

Additionally, the panels approved draft recommendations to establish a National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission for submission to Congress.