Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (left) recognizes the efforts of the Bangsamoro Government, led by Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim (right) for the continual development in the region during the Bangsamoro Task Force-Ending Local Armed Conflict (BTF-ELAC) at Bajau Hall, Office of the Chief Minister, Bangsamoro Government Center, Cotabato City, on July 29, 2024. (Michael Camsa/BIO)
COTABATO CITY—Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. emphasized that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) recognized the ‘peculiar’ political and situational dynamics of the Bangsamoro region, resulting in continuous progress.
This was said during the Bangsamoro Task Force – Ending Local Armed Conflict’s (BTF-ELAC) meeting on Tuesday, July 29, at Bajau Hall, Office of the Chief Minister, Bangsamoro Government Center here.
Vested under Executive Order No. 18 series of 2019 and signed by Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, as amended by Executive No. 10 series of 2020, the BTF-ELAC is tasked with strategizing and implementing interventions essential to achieving inclusive and long-lasting peace in the Bangsamoro region.
“The NTF-ELAC recognized that our cluster has become better and more focused, concentrating on security, economy, governance, communications, and basic services, which really supports the transformation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) into a peaceful and progressive region in the Philippines,” said Galvez, sharing what transpired during the last meeting of the National Task Force.
In 2018, the NTF-ELCAC was formed by the Government of the Philippines to raise awareness about communist armed conflicts in the country.
Galvez stressed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) is “well aware” of the various developments in the BARMM, as evidenced by the latter’s almost three-minute speech about the region during his July 22 State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week.
“It is the first time that the Bangsamoro and the peace process were talked about by the President for two minutes and fifty-nine seconds, to be exact, and […] he even mentioned our accomplishments, including the different Codes and the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB),” he stated.
Further, Galvez mentioned that the newly inaugurated Bangsamoro Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) building in this city manifests the commitment of the National Government and the BSP, saying, “This manifests the confidence of investment and the commitment of the National Government and the BSP to support the BARMM for its transformation for peace and prosperity.”
“PBBM’s SONA and our activity today are symbolic. It is like a post-SONA, especially that we pursue, through our actions, what President Marcos said last time,” he added.
Bangsamoro peace process
Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod “Al-Haj Murad” Ebrahim reflected on the gains of peace as a result of both the decades-long Government of the Philippines-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (GPH-MILF) battle and the patriotism of the Bangsamoro, making concrete steps towards halting local armed struggle to ensure sustainable enhancement in the region.
“The success of BTF-ELAC will be measured by the tangible progress we make in reducing violence, promoting social cohesion, and building sustainable peace in our region. It will be measured by the number of communities that are freed from fear, intimidation, horizontal conflict, and family feuds and by the number of lives that are improved,” Ebrahim continued.
He urged the members of the Task Force to uphold the dividends of the Bangsamoro peace process through their concerted efforts.
Sustaining and improving peace, justice, and security across the BARMM and developing a system of reliable and resilient infrastructure to spur economic growth in the region are the fifth and 11th priority agenda of CM Ebrahim. (Johamin Inok/BIO)
