BARMM leaders oppose separation of Mindanao

COTABATO CITY – The chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), has called on all Bangsamoro to help protect the gains of the Mindanao peace processes.

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim issued the statement Friday amid calls by former President Duterte for a separate Mindanao.

“We remain grateful for and acknowledge the significant contributions made by past and present Presidents of the Philippines in arriving at the peaceful settlement of the Bangsamoro Question,” Ebrahim said.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), also led by Ebrahim, has agreed to an autonomy setup that is acceptable to the Bangsamoro people instead of the original demand for independence.

“We, therefore, urge everyone to help protect the gains of the peace processes. Let us continue to support the current administration and allow peace and civility to reign over the affairs of our land,” he said.

Ebrahim also said he stands firmly on adhering to the faithful implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) provisions toward the right to selfdetermination.

“Underlying the CAB is the recognition of the justness and legitimacy of the cause of the Bangsamoro people and the aspiration to chart our political future through a democratic process that will secure our identity and posterity and allow for meaningful selfgovernance,” he said.

Meanwhile, a BARMM regional lawmaker also believed that the separation of Mindanao from Luzon and the Visayas is not as realistic as in the past.

Omar Yasser Sema, the deputy speaker of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) and a member of the Moro National Liberation Front, which has also agreed to a peace deal for autonomy with the Philippine government, said that former separatists who were once fighting for the independence of Mindanao have now shifted their focus toward autonomy.

“Separation of Mindanao is not the solution to our current problem,” he told reporters when asked to comment on calls for separation of Mindanao.