Murad seeks dialogue with PBBM on full CAB, BOL implementation

COTABATO CITY — Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim has formally requested a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

In a letter dated October 1 coursed through Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Murad asked to meet the President, together with representatives of the MILF leadership, "at a time convenient to you."

He signed the letter in his capacities as MILF Chairman, President of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), and member-elect of the incoming regular Bangsamoro Parliament.

Murad said that following the September 14 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections, the MILF seeks to reaffirm its commitment to peace and to open a dialogue with the national government on the stability, unity, and development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

According to the letter, the proposed meeting would allow the MILF to update the President on the status of the peace process, raise outstanding concerns, and agree on concrete steps toward the full implementation of the 2014 CAB and the BOL.

He stressed the importance of the normalization track, which covers the decommissioning of MILF combatants alongside the government's corresponding commitments on socioeconomic assistance, livelihood, and the development of conflict-affected communities. These, he said, are essential in helping former combatants and their families transition to civilian life.

The MILF also sought the President's support in strengthening peace and order, promoting reconciliation across political groups, and improving coordination between the national government and Bangsamoro institutions.

The CAB was signed by the Government of the Philippines and the MILF in March 2014 and serves as the final peace agreements between the two parties. The BOL, enacted in 2018, established the BARMM.