The Bangsamoro Task Force – Ending Local Armed Conflict (BTF-ELAC) members convene for a consultative meeting at 6th Infantry Division in Awang, Maguindanao del Norte (MDN) on January 22, 2024. (Michael Camsa/BIO)
COTABATO CITY—Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said there is no place for complacency in combating challenges that could spoil lasting peace in the Bangsamoro region.
“We cannot afford to take our time or be complacent in light of the many challenges we are facing,” Galvez said during the meeting, held at the 6th Infantry Division in Awang, Maguindanao del Norte (MDN) on January 22.
The meeting convened members of the Bangsamoro Task Force – Ending Local Armed Conflict (BTF-ELAC) to assess the efforts in upholding peace initiatives, primarily tackling the peace, public order, and safety situations in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“The time for affirmative action is now. There is no time to waste,” Galvez stressed.
He added through active collaboration, the team can build a better, safer, and more progressive future free from the shadows of family feuds.
“The future of our brothers and sisters depend on us. PEACE: Bawat buhay mahalaga,” he emphasized.
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.
Senior Minister Abunawas Maslamama, representing Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, then expressed his optimism for the continuous collaboration of the BTF-ELAC after the members shared insights on developing the peace and security conditions in the Bangsamoro region.
Likewise, Commander Lieutenant General William Gonzales of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command (AFP WestMinCom) stressed the need to have the support of different stakeholders, mainly the Government of the Philippines and the Bangsamoro Government, to ensure a violence-free region, saying, “We cannot do this alone.”
The BTF-ELAC tackled reinforcing rido settlements and the strengthening coordination with the local government units (LGUs), security sectors, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Also discussed were the significant functions of the Cabinet Officers for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) for BARMM, which serves as a linkage mechanism between the Bangsamoro and National Governments, aiding the Philippine President’s real-time addressing of government operations at the regional and sub-regional levels.
Sustaining and improving peace, justice, and security across the BARMM is the 11th priority agenda of Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ebrahim. (Johamin Inok/BIO)
