Murad awaits Marcos response on unfinished Bangsamoro peace process

A political scientist warned that the future of the Bangsamoro peace process hinges on whether President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim can fulfill their remaining commitments before the President’s term ends in June 2028.

Yasmira Moner, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and director of the Gender and Development Center at Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology, said the unfinished peace process remained vulnerable to reversal, underscoring the need to secure outstanding commitments from both sides.

“A peace process that is not finished, not closed, not signed can be erased,” Moner said in a radio interview.

On 1 October, Murad wrote to Marcos requesting a meeting. However, Malacañang had not publicly responded to the request as of Thursday, according to available information.

The proposed meeting could help address outstanding commitments under the peace agreement, including the final exit agreement, which requires the signatures of both the government and the MILF.

The MILF waged a decades-long armed struggle for greater autonomy for Muslims in Mindanao before a 2014 peace agreement paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

However, implementation of the agreement remains incomplete, with about 14,000 MILF combatants still awaiting decommissioning, according to accounts of the peace process.

Moner said Murad, who commands the respect of MILF fighters, should personally sign the final agreement.

“It is important that he is the one who signs,” she said, adding that political will, particularly on the part of the President, would be crucial to completing the process.

Marcos replaced Murad as interim chief minister in 2025, appointing Abdulraof Macacua, a former MILF commander, to the post.

In June, the MILF removed Macacua as its military chief.

These developments added to the challenges surrounding the transition, as the Bangsamoro government navigates leadership changes alongside the implementation of the peace agreement.

Murad, who also heads the MILF’s political party, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, marked the anniversary of the peace process on Thursday without publicly mentioning his letter to Marcos.

“We have come far,” Murad wrote on Facebook. “But much remains to be done.”

With Marcos’ term ending in June 2028, his administration has less than two years to advance the remaining commitments before a new president takes office.

The final phase of decommissioning has been deferred amid disagreements over the government’s socioeconomic commitments to former combatants.

The MILF has cited concerns over the delivery of promised assistance, while the government has disputed claims that it failed to provide support, pointing to cash assistance, health insurance, livelihood programs, and other initiatives.

The government and MILF peace panels met in Kuala Lumpur on 25 September despite unresolved issues. They agreed to work on an updated roadmap for implementing the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, indicating that efforts to complete the remaining commitments are continuing.