Name: Reniel C.

Cabaya

Course and Year: BSED-MATHEMATICS 3

PEACE EDUCATION

A Long Road to Peace:

The Bangsamoro’s Journey Toward Self-Governance

The Bangsamoro region in the southern Philippines has been a

complicated and sometimes volatile terrain. The history of peace-making
here is one of long-standing grievances, prolonged conflict, and a relentless
struggle for self-determination. To appreciate the road to the Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is to follow back decades
of war, acknowledging the historical and ideological causes that drove it, and
seeing the painstakingly long process of negotiation that resulted in the
present type of autonomy.

At the core of the conflict is the historical dynamic between the Moro
people, the native populations of the area, and the Philippine government.
The Moro people, with many different ethnolinguistic groups, have a shared
cultural and religious identity, primarily based on Islam. They have pressed
for recognition and control over their territories and resources, demanding
self-rule that would honor their distinct heritage. However, the Philippine
government, with its predominantly Christian population and a centralized
approach to governance, has often struggled to recognize the aspirations of
the Moro people, fueling a sense of marginalization and exclusion.

Early in the 20th century, nationalist movements emerged among the

Moro people, advocating for greater self-determination and expressing
grievances against the government’s policies. Their defiance was
demonstrated by the Moro Rebellion, which lasted from 1899 to 1913. The
initial conflicts within were followed by the intricacies of World War II, in
which some Moro factions joined arms with the Japanese while others
cooperated with the Americans. These further worsened prior tensions and
led to mistrust. The break came in the form of what has been dubbed the
“Jabidah Massacre” in 1968, wherein there were reports that the Philippine
armed forces committed a massacre on Moro recruits which sparked popular
indignation and pushed separatist thought.
 Two major organizations took root during the 1970s: the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The
MNLF, established in 1972, became a strong force for an independent Moro
state. Their campaign against the Philippine government resulted in
protracted and ruinous conflict. The MILF, established in 1977, was a splinter
faction of the MNLF, pursuing the same objective of self-determination, but
with a different emphasis: the creation of an autonomous region in the
Philippines.

Cori Aquino’s Contribution as president (1986-1992), President Aquino,

who was steadfast in her dedication to peace and reconciliation, herself
actively engaged the Moro people. She attempted to settle their complaints
and create a more inclusive system of governance. Although her initiative
did not bring about a final peace accord in her time in office, it set the stage
for subsequent negotiations.

The succeeding decades were characterized by a series of peace

negotiations, each with the goal of finding a permanent peace. The Philippine
government and the MNLF signed the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, which
guaranteed autonomy to the Bangsamoro, but this agreement saw little
fulfillment. A new cycle of peace negotiations started between the MILF and
the Philippine government in the 1990s. These negotiations, despite being
hampered by several setbacks, ultimately led to the “Comprehensive
Agreement on the Bangsamoro” (CAB) in 2001-2003. The CAB was, however,
rejected by the Philippine Senate in 2008, setting back the peace process.

In 2012, renewed commitment to peace resulted in the signing of the

“Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro” (FAB), which established a
blueprint for the creation of a new Bangsamoro entity with wider autonomy.
This compact opened the door for the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic
Law (BOL) in 2019, a milestone that witnessed the transformation from the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to the Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The BOL substituted
ARMM with a stronger entity, giving BARMM a broader array of powers, such
as control of resources, taxation, and governance.

The History of Names and Entities

2012-2019
 On October 7, 2012 the MILF and the government inked the Framework
Agreement on the Bangsamoro that paved the way for a new autonomous
political structure named the Bangsamoro. It was signed in ceremonies held
at Malacañan Palace, with President Benigno S. Aquino III, Malaysian Prime
Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, and other officials
witnessing it.

December 17, 2012, the Transition Commission (TC) was created by virtue
of the issuance of Executive Order 120, s. 2012 by President Benigno Aquino
III. It is charged with the task of drafting the Bangsamoro Basic Law under
the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) that the Government of
the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) inked on
October 2012. It is composed of fifteen (15) members who are all
Bangsamoro and are appointed by th’ President. The government chose
seven (7) of the members and eight (8) members, including the Chairman,
were elected by the MILF. It has three (3) communities being represented in
the Commission in its 15 members: the Muslims, the Christians and the
Indigenous Peoples (IPs).

On 2 March 2014, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro

(CAB) was formally signed in a ceremony, bringing to an end 17 years of
negotiations between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front. 10 September 2014, Congress accepted the draft
Bangsamoro Basic Law in ceremonies held at Malacañan Palace. Secretary
Teresita Quintos Deles finds the event significant as a milestone in the
pursuit of peace for the country in Mindanao.

On May 20, 2015, voting 50-17 with an abstention, the House Ad Hoc
Committee on the BBL approved the draft and report of the proposed
measure and bill, and then renamed the same as the Basic Law for the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR). Also, last August 11, 2015 our
late Senator Bongbong Marcos declared that 17 senators already signed the
committee report on the substitute bill on the BBL, which was later re-named
as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Law.

August 20, 2015, our President Benigno Aquino III amended Executive
Order No. 120 thru Executive Order No. 187. And on Dec. 8, 2015, Aquino
met with lawmakers on what would become of the BBL after the bill had
been languishing in the House plenary for second reading since September
due to lack of quorum.
 June 30, 2016, during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte, the country’s
first Mindanaoan president, began office. During his campaign, he
vehemently promised to achieve peace in the troubled area by passing BBL.
Aside from this, on November 7, 2016, president Rodrigo issued an
amendment to Executive Order 120 and Executive Order No. 187 via
Executive Order No. 8, s. 2016. The EO increased the members of the BTC
commissioner to 21 from 15 to accommodate a “more inclusive” commission
that would draft the law creating the Bangsamoro, a new political
autonomous region to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM).

On July 17, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte received the new draft and
“improved version” of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) by the 21-member
BTC. The new draft was based on the first draft BBL and with versions and
inputs from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) led by Muslimin Sema
and Yusoph Jikiri.

January 25, 2018, the Senators Miguel Zubiri, Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito,
and Risa Hontiveros conducted the first public hearing in Mindanao on the
proposed BBL, which was conducted in Cotabato City in Maguindanao. And
on May 30-31, 2018, the Voting 227-11-2, the House of Representatives
approved its own version of the proposed BBL, or House Bill 6475, on third
and final reading on May 30. The Senate, after deliberating provisions of the
bill for about 10 hours, voted 21-0 early May 31 to approve its version,
Senate Bill 1717.

July 18, 2018, the bicameral committee signed on the final version of the
BBL, technically known as the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (OLBARMM). It would be a parliamentary-
democracy, a first in the Philippines. It would be headed by the regional head
designated as the Chief Minister, who would preside over an 80-seat
parliament. July 23-24, 2018, House Bill No. 6475 and Senate Bill No. 1717,
the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (OLBARMM) otherwise known as Republic Act No. 11054 was
passed by the House of Representatives and Senate on July 24, 2018 and July
23, 2018, respectively. July 27, 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed R.A.
11054, also referred to as Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (OLBARMM). It will repeal the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and substitute with the new Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao which will possess increased fiscal
autonomy, regional government, parliament, and justice system.

January 21, 2019, It was ratified in a plebiscite of the principal areas,

namely Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, constituent
cities Marawi and Lamitan, and Cotabato City for inclusion purposes.
February 6, 2019 — Another plebiscite was held in Lanao del Norte, Aleosan,
Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pikit and Pigkayawan towns of North Cotabato
and other municipalities who expressed a desire to be part of the envisioned
BARMM, resulting in the 63 Barangays of North Cotabato to be part of it.The
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) opened on
March 2, 2019, marking the beginning of the operations of the newly-
established Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). March 29, 2019, The
Bangsamoro government officially started its history as the Bangsamoro
Transition Authority officially started its history with a formal inauguration on
March 29, 019 at Shariff Kabunusan Cultural Complex, Bangsamoro
Government Center, Cotabto City. It is composed of forty-one (41) MIFL
appointees and thirty-nine (39) Philippine government appointees forming a
total of eighty (80) members of Parliament and On Last October 21, 2021,
President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law a bill which postpones to 2025 the
first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao (BARMM) originally scheduled for 2022 and hence extends political
transition in the region for an additional three years.