June 14, 2025 | Cotabato City — A coalition of civil society leaders today issued a strong appeal to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to immediately convene the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Implementing Panels amid rising tensions and political infighting within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
In a media statement released Friday, prominent peace advocates, development workers, and grassroots leaders expressed deep concern over what they described as a “deepening political turmoil and power struggles” in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), warning that the fragile peace achieved through the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) is now at serious risk.
The group cited the alleged interference of Malacañang officials and the controversial appointment of a new Chief Minister without the consent of the MILF Central Committee as violations of the CAB and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). They warned that such actions threaten to unravel the peace process that took nearly two decades to negotiate and over a decade to implement.
“It strikes at the very core of the CAB’s implementation and must be addressed squarely and transparently,” the statement said, adding that the GPH-MILF peace process is “on the brink of collapse.”
The signatories drew parallels to the stalled 1996 peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), cautioning against repeating history. “It will have catastrophic effects that could possibly revert the region back to violence,” they warned.
The CSO leaders emphasized the socioeconomic gains of peace in the Bangsamoro, pointing to World Bank data showing that poverty in the region dropped from over 60% in 2018 to 37.2% in 2021, lifting nearly 900,000 people out of poverty. They highlighted improvements in economic activity, fishery production, and community investments due to reduced conflict and normalization efforts.
“The Bangsamoro people are already enjoying the dividends of peace,” the group said, urging all parties to protect the progress made so far.
The coalition also called on President Marcos to support the long-awaited first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections scheduled for October 13, 2025. They rejected any moves to delay or extend the transition period further, saying the Bangsamoro people deserve the right to choose their leaders democratically.
“With only a few months remaining, prudence dictates that any question of leadership in the BARMM is best left in the hands of Moro voters through clean, fair, and credible elections,” they added.
The statement was signed by leaders from PeaceBuilders Community, Inc., Coffee for Peace, SENTRO, Mindanao Peoples Caucus, Bawgbug Inc., Mindanao Peacemakers, BARMM Midterm Review Team, and i-Defend SOCCSKSARGEN, among others.
They concluded with a plea for urgent action, stating, “The peace process cannot survive on rhetoric alone. It demands action, accountability, and genuine partnership.”