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18November
IN PHOTO: Zamboanga City CSO Core group and UNYPAD officer during brainstorming at Lapan-Lapan Resto, Zamboanga City

Zamboanga City Peace Advocates, CSOs Core Group conduct brainstorming

ZAMBOANGA CITY (November 14, 2020)- Driven with passion in peace-building endeavor, peace Advocates from United Peace and Development (UNYPAD), and core group representing different Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Zambaoanga City held their periodic meeting at Lapan-Lapan Resto, Saturday. 
The aim of the meeting was to tackle crucial issues such as the implementation of the GPH-MILF Peace Agreement, status of BARMM, the right tract implementation of decommissioning program of the MILF Combatants, and the extension of Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to another three-years. 

The meeting was hosted and spearheaded by UNYPAD Regional Coordinator for Western Mindanao, Mr. Zulfhikar Samsaraji and was attended by core officers of Bangsamoro CSO People’s Organization (PO) officers from BCOBAR Federation and from United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP)- Zamboanga City chapter and MILF Organic members headed by Ustadz Taha G. Daranda and Hji. Abidin Abdusalam.

Mr. Tirso S. Tahir, an officer from Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) also shared valuable inputs on the current trend of BARMM Governance and other related issues. 

Ustadh Daranda, member of MILF Tarbiyyah Committee in Zamboanga City said the Bangsamoro people have been expecting that the concerns and issues of the Bangsamoro residing outside the BARMM particularly in Zamboanga City should be included in the BARMM agenda. 

Spreading the dividends of peace to all Bangsamoro is a gesture of inclusiveness to substantiate the slogan that “No Bangsamoro is left behind,” Hji. Abdusalam said. 

In consensus, the group appealed to lawmakers in Congress to extend the term of BTA-BARMM to another three years until 2025 so that the BTA-BARMM can legislate priority laws, and policies needed for new system to function well consistent with the provisions stipulated in peace agreement. 

The process of overhauling the region’s bureaucracy, putting necessary enabling laws in a new system are tremendous task and facing daunting challenges, hence it is more logical and reasonable for BTA-BARMM to have them enacted in order to be more responsive and calibrating in its course to meet the needs of the Bangsamoro people and realization of their aspiration, the group said.

Tapping competent and dedicated bureaucrats and technocrats to administer the different BARMM Ministries and other agencies are another add-on challenge that the Bangsamoro people have been expecting since the BARMM was created, they said.