THIS WEEK'S MILESTONES

March 24 to March 30

March 27, 2014

The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) was signed by then government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal and Malaysian facilitator Ab Ghafar Mohamed. CAB was the final agreement—composed of all signed agreements between the government and the MILF—that formed the basis for the drafting of the basic law for the Bangsamoro region to be created for the Muslim minority in Mindanao. MILF chair Murad Ebrahim described CAB as “the crowning glory of our struggle“and said that the peace deal was “a shared victory of the Bangsamoro and the Filipino people.” The final version of the law, called Bangsamoro Organic Law, was signed by President Duterte on July 27, 2018.

March 28, 2003

Evelio B. Javier Airport in San Jose town, capital of Antique province, was reopened to commercial flights after more than 20 years. The airport underwent a yearlong renovation in 2002, using a P40-million fund taken from then President Gloria MacapagalArroyo’s social fund. Previously called Antique Airport, it was renamed Evelio B. Javier Airport during the commemoration of the 16th death anniversary of Evelio Javier in February 2002. Javier was a popular opposition leader during the Marcos dictatorship. In December 2018, flag carrier Philippine Airlines relaunched its commercial flights between Clark and Antique.