On the day of the plebiscite here, two young Maguindanaons have cast their votes, one supports the inclusion of Cotabato City under the soon to be Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao or BARMM, and the other one wanted Cotabato to remain a charter city.
Members of the community of Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) community gathered for a candle lighting for peace activity earlier on Monday in support to the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite.
President Rodrigo Duterte declared Jan.21 as a special non-working holiday in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Isabela City in Basilan, and Cotabato City to give way for the coming first plebiscite to ratify the proposed Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
With the delay of the resumption of the negotiations, a church leader said it is up to the Duterte administration to “salvage” the peace talks between the government and the communists.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is poised to recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte the termination of peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), AFP spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo said on Tuesday.
The Department on Justice (DOJ) wants the cancellation of the temporary liberty granted by the courts to detained National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultants and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) leaders after the talks between them and the government fell in limbo.
Apprehensive that the re-scheduling of the peace talks could further result to the escalation of the armed conflict and dislocation of civilians especially in the countryside, Mindanao multi-sectoral leaders have asked the Duterte administration to push for the resumption of the negotiation and to “do all the necessary steps and forward reforms that would end poverty in all forms.”
Having stayed the scheduled resumption of the peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front supposed to happen on June 15, President Rodrigo Duterte changed tone and wanted the negotiations to continue in the Philippines.
While Malacañang lauded the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in both chambers of Congress, a Moro group, on the other hand, expressed doubt the measure would help heal the injustices committed against the Bangsamoro.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) confirmed that talks with the informal back channel are being facilitated by representatives from the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and negotiators from the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in Europe.
