Group hopes non-military component of IMT will continue
International Alert, a conflict prevention response network, expressed hope that the non-military component of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) will continue after it was terminated by the previous administration as clashes between security forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) declined.
"We hope that it continues. The other international partners are involved in other initiatives within the (BARMM), as specifically one bigger initiative is the support for the establishment strengthening of the camps to former camps of the MILF. Those are in several provinces and the development input in those areas come from a lot of international partners part of the national government as well," said Francisco Lara Jr., Senior Peace and Conflict Adviser of Asia International Alert said in a press briefing at a book launching in Makati on Thursday.
The IMT is tasked to monitor the 2004 ceasefire between the Philippine government and the MILF.
The IMT is composed of Japan, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Libya, Norway and subsequently the European Union.
Last month, members of the Malaysian led IMT left Mindanao after former President Rodrigo Duterte did not extend their authority to stay to monitor the ceasefire in the conflict area in southern Philippines.
Lara also expressed concern as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not mention any Bangsamoro related issue during his first State of the Nation Address last Monday.
"In terms of the future of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the parliament and other issues in relation to the political transition, we also notice that there is no mention at all of the other peace process or the other conflict pertaining to the communist insurgency," he said.
"The issue we think right now adds additional uncertainty on the problems that we are facing in relation to the Bangsamoro not only in the political transition but other transitions that are happening now," he added.
Lara said these includes the transition from "conflict to peace under the peace agreement of the Bangsomoro Development Agency (BDA), Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and the BARMM" and the transitioning from Duterte to the Marcos administration"
He noted that "those two transitions hold a lot of challenges for the bangsamoro."
"We know that the Bangsamoro appointments are supposed to be decided soon..the MILF already submitted their list to the government, we don't know what the position of the government is going to be regarding that list, before they was just accepted by the Duterte government," said Lara.
"It is a source of worry for us and concern and we hope that the government will come in immediately to raise some announcement. The only thing that was announced in relation to that is the extension of the term of (former) Gen. (Carlito) Galvez in the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) up to December. That is the only thing that we know," he added. Robina Asido/DMS
