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	Nonviolent Peaceforce Statement On Framework Agreement On The Bangsamoro (FAB) Signing (Philippines) an article by Nonviolent Peaceforce A crucial and long-awaited step on the path to peace in the Philippines was made on 25 January 2014 when the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the final annex and addendum for the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB). The FAB was initiated on 15 October 2012. In the 15 months following, the MILF and GPH engaged in ongoing dialogue and complex negotiations to finalize this agreement. This agreement paves the way for an autonomous Bangsamoro state. Now that all points in the FAB have been agreed upon, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement can be signed by the GPH and MILF. Therefore the country can move forward to the next phase of the peace process, developing Bangsamoro Basic Law. Photo: Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, seated left, chairperson of Philippine Government Peace Panel, and Mohagher Iqbal, seated right, chief negotiator for the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), sign documents with Malaysian facilitator Abdul Ghafar Tengku Mohamed, sitting center, as witness, during the 43rd GPH-MILF Exploratory Talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. AP PHOTO/LAI SENG SIN click on photo to enlarge This monumental event is the result of peace talks between the GPH and MILF. This was done under the facilitation and support of Malaysia and the highly credible work of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao. Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) has had the privilege of being part of one component of the IMT, the Civilian Protection Component (CPC) since its creation in 2010. As a member of the IMT-CPC, NP is charged with carrying out the CPC mandate. This focuses on civilian safety and security in situations of armed conflict. Nonviolent Peaceforce was invited to Mindanao by the Mindanao Peoples’ Caucus and Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society and deployed its team in May 2007. This established the first international field presence in the most critical conflict areas of Datu Piang and Jolo, Sulu. Nonviolent Peaceforce teams are out in Mindanao every day, addressing concrete problems on the ground. This includes de-escalating tensions, supporting peace panels and giving IMT real time reports. This ground breaking work in the Philippines resulted in the Nonviolent Peaceforce being invited to Myanmar to support local initiatives for effective ceasefire monitoring. While the signing of the FAB is a success for the Philippines as a country, it most directly impacts the people of Mindanao. Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines and has lived through decades of violent conflict as well as numerous failed peace agreements. The finalisation of the FAB is a significant step in resolving a historic conflict and bringing a new era of peace, for the citizens of Mindanao and the country of the Philippines. The Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Teresita Quintos Deles, shared these words following the successful conclusion of the FAB, “In a world looking for peaceful solutions to all troubles, we are grateful that we have found ours. Let us all seal it and nurture it. The best is yet to come.” NP extends heartfelt congratulations to the MILF, GPH and all the actors involved in the peace process. This also extends to the dedicated champions of these parties who continued to persevere and the people of Mindanao for achieving peaceful resolution. See the full text of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Teresita Quintos Deles here.		DISCUSSION Question(s) related to this article: What is the latest update on the peace situation in Mindanao?, * * * * * LATEST READER COMMENT: The agreement of October 15 2012 has given rise to optimism, but many problems remain.  For a typical analysis see that of The Economist. The Philippines' Southern Insurgency It could be peace Hopes grow for an end to a bloody and long-running insurgency AFTER 16 years of on-and-off negotiations, the Philippines government and the main Muslim rebel group in the southern region of Mindanao, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, agreed to the outlines of a peace deal on October 6th. The two sides are due to sign it formally on October 15th. If it works, which is far from guaranteed, it could bring an end to more than four decades of fighting by armed Muslims seeking independence from the mainly Christian archipelago nation. The Mindanao conflict has killed perhaps 120,000 people and displaced 2m more. Mindanao is home to most of the country’s Muslims, who make up about 5% of the population of about 100m. The agreement is not a final peace deal, but rather what President Benigno Aquino describes as “a framework agreement” and the front calls a “road map”. Yet both sides believe that it paves the way for what Mr Aquino hopes will prove “a final, enduring peace” in Mindanao. The peace plan envisages the establishment of an autonomous Muslim area in Mindanao, called Bangsamoro, subject to a plebiscite there. The proposed Bangsamoro will have budgetary autonomy and a just share of revenues from the extraction of southern resources; its own police force; and sharia law for Muslims only. . ...more.
This report was posted on February 5, 2014.