The Bangsamoro peace process was never a gift from the state; it was a hard-won covenant, sealed with the blood and sacrifice of generations who refused to surrender dignity for silence. The Bangsamoro Organic Law, born from the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, was more than legislation — it was a declaration that the Bangsamoro were no longer a subjugated minority but partners in shaping the future of the Philippines.
Today, that covenant stands betrayed.
Under the stewardship of OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and his allies in Malacañang, the process has been marred by doublespeak, arbitrary interventions, and deliberate efforts to weaken the very architecture of peace. The most glaring assault is the stripping of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) of its rightful majority in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) — a betrayal that undermines not just an agreement, but the very trust that sustains peace.
A Generation’s Warning
The Bangsamoro youth, once hopeful that the dawn of autonomy would end the long shadow of exclusion, now warn of a dangerous precedent: a peace riddled with manipulation and betrayal. They remind the government that peace is not paper promises, nor photo-op handouts, but justice, reintegration, and transformation.
Of the 26,145 combatants decommissioned, many remain stranded between disarmament and civilian life. The government’s failure to deliver promised socio-economic support has forced the MILF to suspend the decommissioning of 14,000 more fighters. This is not normalization; it is betrayal dressed as partnership.
Factionalism in Bangsamoro politics is not organic. It is engineered from the outside, sowed by arbitrary appointments and fueled by interference that seeks to divide the Bangsamoro people. If uncorrected, this doublespeak will teach a generation not that peace is sacred, but that peace is fragile.
The youth demand accountability. At the very least, they demand the resignation of Secretary Galvez, whose leadership has paralyzed normalization and eroded trust. They call for a return to the agreements in full: transitional justice, reconciliation, amnesty, and genuine socio-economic transformation.
A Nation’s Response
In the face of this betrayal, the Bangsamoro have not fractured. On the contrary, they are rallying around their leadership. On September 9, 2025, more than 600 civil society organizations under the League of Bangsamoro Organizations (LBO) gathered at Camp Darapanan, expressing their unshakable support for MILF Chairman and UBJP President Al Haj Murad Ebrahim.
In their Pahayag ng Paninindigan, the LBO pledged loyalty to the MILF leadership, vowing to safeguard unity, resist external manipulation, and uphold the principles of moral governance. They declared that their commitment is not to fleeting politics but to the Qur’anic call for justice, discipline, and collective struggle for the Bangsamoro’s right to self-determination.
Their message is clear: the peace process is not owned by Manila, nor by politicians who weaponize appointments, but by the Bangsamoro people themselves.
The Path Forward
This convergence of the Bangsamoro youth and civil society organizations is a warning to the Marcos administration: peace cannot survive doublespeak, recognition cannot survive manipulation, and trust cannot survive betrayal.
The Bangsamoro are not asking for favors — they are demanding the fulfillment of promises already sealed in law and agreement. To undermine these is to invite instability. To respect them is to honor the Constitution’s own promise of truth, justice, equality, and peace.
The call is urgent:
- End external meddling in the BTA.
- Resume normalization in full, not in fragments.
- Deliver justice and socio-economic transformation, not token handouts.
- Restore the MILF’s rightful role as the primary partner in transition.
The Bangsamoro youth have spoken. The Bangsamoro organizations have stood as one. Their unity is now their greatest weapon against betrayal.
The message to Manila is unambiguous: The Bangsamoro will not allow their future to be stolen.