The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have stepped up joint efforts to complete their remaining obligations under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) as the autonomous region prepares for its inaugural parliamentary elections on September 14.
Presidential Peace Adviser and Government Peace Implementing Panel Chair Mel Senen Sarmiento confirmed that both sides have restarted in-depth discussions covering the political and normalization tracks of the 2014 peace deal.
While the upcoming September 14 polls will drive the political track forward, implementation efforts under the normalization track—including combatant decommissioning, security, socioeconomic support, camp transformation, and transitional justice—will continue well beyond election day.
“Since my appointment as GPH Panel Chair in July, we have actively reached out to our partners in the MILF to demonstrate the national government’s utmost sincerity and commitment to accelerate the implementation of the CAB’s political and normalization Tracks,” Sarmiento said in a statement Saturday.
Following a recent meeting between Sarmiento and MILF Chair Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, joint mechanisms officially resumed work. On August 4, both panels signed a joint declaration reaffirming their partnership, followed by an August 31 agreement between the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group to establish ceasefire protocols for the upcoming polls.
To safeguard the voting process, the government established an Information Operations Coordinating Center to monitor activities before, during, and after the elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Despite these steps, the Third Party Monitoring Team warned against assuming the peace process is near completion, noting that critical normalization commitments remain unfulfilled.