Representatives from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), provincial government of Maguindanao, government security forces, and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) met on Tuesday to discuss the program on dispute resolution being implemented in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The meeting is part of the continuing consultation between OPAPP and peace partners to assess the implementation of the program in the context of the deliverables under the Normalization Program, as well as to craft a more responsive framework that is suitable and reflects the context of the conflict situation in Maguindanao.
According to Dir. Farrah Grace V. Naparan, chief of staff of the Joint Normalization Division, dispute resolution is an integral aspect of the normalization’s track’s security component under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
The dispute resolution program is being carried out in parallel with the Small Arms Light Weapons (SALW) and Disbandment of Private Armed Groups (DPAGs) programs, and the decommissioning of MILF combatants to help improve peace and security in the Bangsamoro.
“Lahat po kasi ito nakatahi. We cannot achieve ‘yung security sa Bangsamoro if ‘yung dispute resolution is treated separately,” Naparan explained.
In recognition of the crucial role of LGUs in dispute resolution and their deep understanding of the dynamics of local conflict, OPAPP and the Provincial Government of Maguindanao signed a Memorandum of Agreement in 2020 to officially launch the program on dispute resolution.
OPAPP also turned over P11.7 million funds to the provincial government of Maguindanao for the implementation of the said program.
The peacebuilding initiative seeks to put an end to rido cases or family conflicts in the BARMM, improve socioeconomic conditions in conflict-affected areas, and empower communities to address issues of conflict and peace through activities that promote social cohesion.
The program was integrated into the AGILA HAVEN program of the provincial government of Maguindanao, a peacebuilding mechanism which aims to prevent violent extremism.
