MANILA
\nAuthorities in the Philippines\u2019 southern Muslim region welcomed on Monday a vow of commitment from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to implement signed peace agreements in the country, as one of Southeast Asia\u2019s most conflict-torn regions moves closer to the conclusion of its decade-long peace process.
\nBangsamoro, a region covering predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao, has been undergoing a peace process that began in 2014, when the government struck a permanent ceasefire deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front after almost four decades of conflict.
\nMILF is an armed breakaway group of the Moro National Liberation Front \u2014 the oldest Muslim separatist movement in Mindanao \u2014 which continued to fight when its parent organization reached a peace agreement with Manila in the 1990s.
\nBangsamoro residents voted for its greater autonomy in a 2019 referendum held as part of the peace process, the transition period of which will culminate after the region elects its legislature and executive in 2025.
\nIn a ceremony held at the presidential palace on Monday, Marcos said his administration was committed to \u201c(implementing) all signed peace agreements\u201d for the security, inclusive progress and stability of Mindanao and the rest of the country, adding that ongoing peace processes were in the \u201cadvanced stages\u201d of implementation.
\nMarcos\u2019s pledge on Monday was welcomed by authorities in Bangsamoro.
\n\u201cPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr.\u2019s commitment to implementing all signed peace agreements is a testament to his sincerity in bringing sustainable peace and development in Mindanao,\u201d Mohd. Asnin Pendatun, spokesperson for the autonomous Muslim region BARMM, told Arab News.
\n\u201cWe are hopeful that we will witness the fitting conclusion to the peace accords \u2026 during his administration.\u201d
\nYet results from the peace process \u201cremain to be seen,\u201d according to Drieza Liningding, leader of the Moro Consensus Group from BARMM\u2019s Marawi City.
\n\u201cMost of what was promised has not yet been implemented,\u201d he told Arab News.
\nThough he welcomed Marcos\u2019 pledge to implement all the signed peace agreements, he said that Marawi residents felt \u201csidelined\u201d by the current administration.
\nYears after pro-Daesh militants took over Marawi in 2017 in a five-month battle that resulted in its widespread destruction, many residents were still unable to access promised government support from the Marawi Siege Victim\u2019s Compensation Act, Liningding said.
\n\u201cWe in Marawi are frustrated with how his administration is handling the Marawi compensation law; we feel that our protest and letters addressed to him only fall on deaf ears,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cInjustice is the root of all revolutions \u2026 But we are still hoping that (Marcos) will listen to our pleas. We don\u2019t want Marawi to be used by lawless elements or used as justification to rebel against the government. We want peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MANILA Authorities in the Philippines\u2019 southern Muslim region welcomed on Monday a vow of commitment from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to implement signed peace agreements in the country, as one of Southeast Asia\u2019s most conflict-torn regions moves closer to the conclusion of its decade-long peace process. Bangsamoro, a region covering predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-428703","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n