GPH, MILF reaffirm commitment to completing Bangsamoro peace agreement

Floyd Brenz., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 27, 2026

Photo Courtesy: OPAPRU

The Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are renewing their commitment to complete the remaining provisions of the Bangsamoro peace agreement, as both sides push forward with the normalization process.

The Government of the Philippines and MILF Peace Implementing Panels made the commitment during a special meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they signed six key documents tied to the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro or CAB.

The panels also expressed appreciation for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s support for the peace process, which they said has helped sustain implementation of the agreement’s political and normalization tracks.

Among the agreements was a roadmap for continued implementation of the CAB, along with the renewal of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group until September 2027 and the Civilian Protection Component until September 2028.

The panels also agreed in principle on a framework for managing small arms and light weapons, with a technical working group tasked to finalize the proposal. Discussions will also continue on the possible revitalization of the International Monitoring Team and on measures to put weapons beyond use.

Another agreement focuses on socioeconomic assistance for decommissioned MILF combatants and six previously acknowledged MILF camps, while a separate resolution proposes enhancements to legislation creating a National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission for the Bangsamoro.

The meeting comes after the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections on September 14, a major milestone in the political track of the peace agreement. But officials stressed that the elections do not mark the end of the peace process, with normalization commitments still requiring implementation.

MILF Peace Implementing Panel Chair Mohagher Iqbal said the group remains committed to peacefully resolving the remaining issues, particularly the normalization commitments involving former combatants, communities and weapons.

For the government, Peace Implementing Panel Chair Mel Senen Sarmiento said the political track has reached an important stage, but the work now moves toward intensified implementation of the normalization track.

The agreements in Kuala Lumpur therefore mark another step in a peace process that began with the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, with both sides now facing the task of turning remaining commitments into concrete changes for communities across the Bangsamoro.