Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur – May 10, 2025 — In yet another unsettling reminder of the fragility of peace in the Bangsamoro region, members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) under the 118th Base Command exchanged gunfire with troops from the Philippine Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion early this morning in Barangay Kuloy, Shariff Aguak.
The military confirmed that two soldiers were wounded in the firefight, while scores of civilians were forced to flee or were trapped in their homes. According to BGen. Patricio Ruben Amata, Assistant Division Commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, the soldiers were conducting routine patrols when they were fired upon by the MILF forces.
The incident, which comes just two days before the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, has raised urgent concerns about the state of the peace process between the government and the MILF — a former secessionist group that signed a comprehensive peace agreement in 2014 but retained much of its armed base.
Civilians Trapped and Pleading for Help
As the fighting intensified, civilians in Barangay Kuloy made desperate pleas to be allowed safe passage out of the conflict zone. Reports from residents allege that the military was reluctant to let them leave, effectively trapping them in what some describe as a human shield situation.
“Tumitindi lalo ang bakbakan,” said one resident in a message shared with local media. “Daang-daang sundalo na ang pumasok sa lugar. Sana huwag kaming madamay.”
The military has denied intentionally preventing civilians from leaving and said their presence in the area was necessary to secure the location and prevent election-related violence.
Is the Peace Deal Only on Paper?
This latest firefight underscores a deeper, unsettling question: Has the peace process truly delivered on its promise of disarmament and normalization, or is it simply a political show? Despite the formal peace deal, many MILF base commands remain armed and active — occasionally clashing with state forces or getting entangled in local conflicts.
The MILF, now a political entity through the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), is campaigning to win a fresh mandate in the upcoming regional elections. But incidents like this cast doubt on whether the organization can fully transition from an armed revolutionary movement into a legitimate, democratic government.
“What happens if they win again? Will the cycle of armed encounters continue under the guise of local disputes?” a local civil society leader asked during a press forum in Cotabato City. “And if they lose, will they return to armed struggle?”
Fragile Peace, Uncertain Future
Though the firefight has since been halted through the intervention of ceasefire mechanisms — including the MILF and GPH Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and Lt. Col. Villan of the 33rd IB — the deeper wounds remain.
Election observers and residents alike are now questioning the credibility of the peace and normalization process in BARMM, and whether real demilitarization and civilian protection are being enforced — or ignored.
As the region prepares to vote, many are asking: How long can this cycle of armed confrontations and hollow ceasefires continue before the very foundation of the peace process crumbles?