Peace panel normalization body vows to keep pace, deliver results on the ground

COTABATO CITY — The Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has pledged to push the Bangsamoro peace process forward with renewed urgency, as it held its 33rd meeting on Nov. 7 at the headquarters of the Philippine Army's 6th Infantry Division in Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.

MILF Co-Chair and Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Member of Parliament Atty. Sha Elijah B. Dumama-Alba said convening the committee on schedule was "a testament to our commitment to making sure that we kindly convene and that we [keep] with the timeline that we have set for ourselves as a joint normalization committee."

"The conviction and dedication of this joint normalization committee stays true to our closing commitments," Dumama-Alba said. She added that real progress would last "as long as there is mutual respect from both parties" and the parallel components of normalization were followed.

GPH Co-Chair retired Brig. Gen. David B. Diciano said both sides shared the job of turning commitments into visible gains in communities.

He said socioeconomic interventions for former combatants "are not merely social assistance programs. They are essential investments in the successful transition of former combatants toward productive civilian lives."

Diciano asked participants to be candid in assessing operational bottlenecks. He said "the confidence of our stakeholders and communities depends not only on the commitments we make, but more importantly, on the results" delivered to conflict-affected families.

"This agreement has given us the historic opportunity to end decades of armed conflict and establish the foundation of lasting peace," he said.

The meeting was attended by development partners and civil society representatives.

The JNC oversees implementation of the normalization track under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which covers security, socioeconomic development, confidence-building measures, and transitional justice and reconciliation. Its agenda includes community security, legal identity protection, and livelihood support for decommissioned MILF combatants and their communities.