In another historic move, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 79 or the Annex on Normalization under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
The President’s approval of EO 79 marks another milestone in the decades-long Bangsamoro peace process and signals the full implementation of the Normalization track, particularly its various mechanisms and components that have initially been established on the ground.
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr said that by affixing his signature to EO 79, the Chief Executive is sending a strong message that his administration is determined to sustain the gains and push forward the Bangsamoro peace process to its successful conclusion.
“This is the moment we have been waiting for. It is another testament of the President’s firm commitment to fulfill all signed agreements with the various Moro fronts and finally bring genuine and enduring peace to the Bangsamoro,” Galvez said.
Normalization: A multi-pronged peace and development strategy
The formal operationalization of the Annex on Normalization, which is part of the CAB, comes five years after it was signed by members of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Implementing Panels.
According to Galvez, Normalization is a multi-faceted strategy which encompasses the key aspects of security, socio-economic development, sustainable livelihood, political participation, confidence-building, and transitional justice and reconciliation.
“What EO 79 actually does is to consolidate all of the government’s different peace-building initiatives under the Normalization track,” he explained.
Galvez pointed out that the Normalization phase shall compliment the political track of the CAB.
“The Normalization track compliments the implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which was signed into law by President Duterte in July 27, 2018 and ratified through plebiscites held on January 21 and February 6, 2019,” he said.
Galvez said the passage of the BOL resulted in the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which is led by an interim government called the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). The 80-member body is headed by the MILF.
From former warriors to agents of peace
He noted that the beneficiaries of the Normalization track does not only cover the MILF’s combatants, but will also be extended to members of other armed groups who are willing to rejoin mainstream society.
The Normalization process will also include the families and communities of the combatants. This track’s main goal is to help them transition into peaceful and productive members of society, while transforming their camps into progressive and resilient communities.
Galvez said the key to the successful implementation of the Normalization phase will largely depend on the involvement of the MILF-led BTA, which will be at the forefront of this major undertaking.
“More than anything else, the BTA, under the leadership of its Chairman Al Haj Ebrahim Murad, can serve as a symbol of solidarity, reconciliation and more importantly, inclusivity in the region,” he said.
Galvez said that under the Normalization track, former rebels such as the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), as well as members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Maute and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) will be given chance to turn a new leaf and return to mainstream society.
“At the heart of the Normalization track is the principle of inclusivity. Everyone, regardless of tribe, religion or ideology should be part of this process,” he said.
Galvez said the Normalization phase shall cover the six MILF-recognized camps which include Camp Bilal in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, Camp Omar ibn al-Kattab in Maguindanao, Camp Rajamudah in North Cotabato and Maguindanao, Camp Busrah Somiorang in Lanao del Sur and Camp Abubakar as-Siddique in Maguindanao.
He added that other locations where decommissioned combatants are residing may be identified for inclusion later on by the GPH and MILF Implementing Panels.
“The main goal of Normalization is to help these former rebels return to the folds of the law and regain their lives,” Galvez said.
“We must, therefore, help create a conducive environment that will finally convince them to lay down their weapons and become agents of peace and development,” he said.
“I, therefore, urge members of other armed groups to take advantage of the sincere efforts being shown by the Duterte Administration to finally put an end to this decades-long conflict,” Galvez said, adding “Let us all partake of the dividends of peace.
