The Bangsamoro Government, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPPAP), and The World Bank officially launched the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund (BNTF) in a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.
COTABATO CITY—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)–led Bangsamoro Government, together with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPPAP), virtually launched Wednesday, May 19, the establishment and implementation of the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund (BNTF).
Key officials from OPPAP and regional government, The World Bank, and international partners and ambassadors witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Commitment between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and MILF Chairman.
The World Bank was chosen as the international administrator of the trust fund by agreement of the respective GPH and MILF Joint Implementing Panels.
Mr. Ndiamé Diop, The World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand expressed his support and commitment to BNTF highlighting that “eradicating poverty and assuring long-term progress in the entire country depend on the development of Bangsamoro.”
Reference of BNTF and its relevance to combatants
The creation of the BNTF was mutually agreed by the GPH and MILF in the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), which both parties signed on January 25, 2014.
The objective of the BNTF is to assist MILF combatants and their communities achieve their desired quality of life in a peaceful and inclusive manner.
The BNTF will also assist in the development of six (6) previously acknowledged MILF Camps with the end view of transforming these areas into peaceful and productive communities.
The BNTF will finance, coordinate and oversee the delivery of assistance from international partners and other donors in the implementation of the normalization process, particularly for development efforts and the rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development of Bangsamoro communities and other vulnerable sectors across BARMM.
Fulfillment of the Peace Process in the Bangsamoro
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim, also the MILF Chairman, recognized the support of international partners and stressed the importance of fulfilling the political and normalization tracks to ensure the success of the peace process.
“We take on another significant milestone that assures the GPH and MILF will continue providing necessary efforts in normalizing our combatants and their respective communities,” Ebrahim said.
“With the help of our dear friends from The World Bank, we make sure that the purpose of the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund is fulfilled and that we get to coordinate and oversee the delivery of assistance from international partners and other donors to make sure that this track becomes a success,” he added.
This is also supported by Implementing Panel Chairman Mohagher Iqbal, the concurrent Minister of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE).
Iqbal said that both parties must continue to “demonstrate political will and remain faithful to the spirit and letter of the signed peace agreements, the 2012 Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB), 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), and the Bangsamoro Organic Law or RA 11054.”
He shared that one clear factor that describes the “slowness” in the implementation of the decommissioning process is insufficient funds that would cater to the socio-economic package allocated to each decommissioned MILF combatant during the second phase of decommissioning.
“I want to emphasize that we can achieve just and lasting peace in the Bangsamoro and the rest of Mindanao through mutual respect, unwavering commitment, and adherence to the signed peace agreement,” Iqbal emphasized.
Moreover, OPAPP Usec. David Diciano said Wednesday’s launching event is “not purely a trust fund for the sake of financing but it is the embodiment of the continuous commitment of GPH-MILF, and the international communities to the full implementation of CAB.”
On the other hand, Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr. pointed out that Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) pushed back the implementation of the normalization programs for the Bangsamoro community.
“During these trying times, we need to have a synergy and complementation so that we can overcome these trials along the way and continue to build the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process,” Galvez said. (Bangsamoro Information Office)
