President Duterte on Saturday assured that government will listen to the grievances of the newly established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, saying that the administration will fully support them as they start to govern themselves.
Duterte, leading the second phase of the decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front combatants and weapons in Sultan Kudarat, appealed to the public to set aside differences and work together for a peaceful Mindanao.
“Let me also take this opportunity to assure the officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, the MILF, and the people of Mindanao that this administration will always listen to your grievances. Let us set aside our differences and avoid further armed conflict,” he said. “I also invite all concerned stakeholders to continue working with government so that our gains for many years of peace-building efforts will never go to waste,” he added.
The President also said that the government will try to interfere as least as possible, assuring them that it would be up to them how they use their resources. “Di niyo – wala – the least intervention o pang-istorbo galing sa taas, sa national government, ayaw ko. Say, kailangan ninyo ng capital, ayan. Bigyan kayo ng pera, ayan. Anong kailangan ninyo? Sabihin ninyo,” Duterte said.
According to Duterte, the decommissioning was another important milestone in the Bangsamoro peace process and thanked those responsible for making true his promise of giving the region a more inclusive, accountable, and transparent government.
“Let me take this opportunity to personally acknowledge the efforts of everyone who made this event possible, especially the negotiating panels of both sides of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Independent Decommissioning Body, and all those who worked tirelessly to end the armed hostilities between the government and MILF,” he said. “I take pride in the fact that we have made significant progress in the implementation of the agreements arising from the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, including the very important Annex on Normalization that covers the decommissioning process,” he added.
“This is indeed a huge step towards our goal of achieving lasting peace for Mindanao.” (Argyll Geducos)
