FOLLOWING months of a temporary pause, the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have formally resumed normalization activities under the landmark Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
The breakthrough came during the 38th Peace Implementing Panels Meeting held on Aug. 4 at the Acacia Hotel in Davao City, marking the first official joint session under newly designated GPH Panel chair and presidential peace adviser Sec. Mel Senen Sarmiento.
Outside the venue, civil society organizations from across Mindanao gathered with traditional instruments and banners, urging both sides to translate high-level commitments into tangible community benefits.
Declaration of continuity
Following the meeting, both parties signed a joint “Declaration of Continuity of the Partnership,” signaling an immediate return to joint operations across all peace mechanisms and Technical Working Groups (TWGs).
The agreement officially ended the MILF’s temporary suspension of normalization track activities, which had been put on hold pending leadership changes and implementation adjustments.
“The meeting was characterized by mutual trust, sincerity, and renewed commitment to work together towards the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro,” the panels declared in a joint statement.
A follow-up Special Meeting has been scheduled for Sept. 25 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where a joint TWG will present an updated roadmap for completing the CAB’s remaining obligations.
Elections not a substitute for normalization
With the first regular Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections approaching in September 2026, both leaders underscored that electoral milestones cannot replace the hard work of decommissioning and socioeconomic reform.
MILF Peace Implementing Panel chair Mohagher Iqbal cautioned against relying solely on political milestones while leaving critical aspects of the peace agreement unfinished.
“Parliamentary elections are little more than a month away. They matter, but they are not a substitute for normalization,” Iqbal stressed. “A credible election without credible implementation is not peace; it is a delay dressed as progress.”
Sarmiento echoed the need for tangible results, stating that peace must manifest in the daily lives of residents through security, infrastructure, and access to government services.
“Communities do not experience implementation one program at a time. They experience it as a whole,” Sarmiento said. “A road that allows safer travel, a livelihood that creates opportunity, a functioning ceasefire—these become the lived experience of peace.”
International observers reaffirm support
Meanwhile, Third Party Facilitator HE Gen. Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Panglima Ts. Haji Zulkifli bin Zainal Abidin of Malaysia reaffirmed his nation’s neutral support.
Also, representatives from the International Contact Group and the Third Party Monitoring Team urged both sides to maintain momentum through the upcoming political transition.
