President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has the opportunity to complete what his father, the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., started nearly five decades ago—the pursuit of peace, self-governance and autonomy for the Moro people in Mindanao, a Muslim scholar and peace advocate said.

Acram Latiph, executive director of the Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao at Mindanao State University, said the September 14 parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) could mark a major step toward achieving lasting peace, self-governance and development in the region.

Latiph added that the elections, to be held 50 years after the signing of the historic Tripoli Agreement, represent the culmination of decades of negotiations, political upheavals and constitutional challenges in the search for a peaceful settlement of the Moro struggle.

The Tripoli Agreement was signed on December 23, 1976, during the Marcos Sr. administration, with Libya and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation helping mediate the negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Latiph said the path from the Tripoli Agreement to the BARMM parliamentary elections was long and difficult, as successive administrations grappled with differences in interpreting the agreement, constitutional issues, and divisions within the Moro movement.

“It took a long while really kasi ang iniiwasan doon ay paano hindi magkakaroon ng malawakang hidwaan … para ma-preserve iyong society at iyong agreement na nagsimula sa Tripoli Agreement para matugunan iyong mga hinaing at adhikain ng mga Moro for self-autonomy and self-governance. Na ngayon ay maisasakatuparan na,” he said.

Latiph said differences in the interpretation of the Tripoli Agreement, including questions on the need for constitutional amendments, became among the obstacles to its full implementation.

“Tapos naging balakid din iyong [pananaw] na kailangan … ng constitutional amendment para maisakatuparan ang nandoon sa agreement. Naging balakid ang pagkakaiba ng pagkaunawa sa Tripoli Agreement,” he said.

The peace process culminated in the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the government and the MNLF during the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos. The subsequent peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) eventually paved the way for the creation of the BARMM.

Latiph said the long-running tensions between the MNLF and MILF also contributed to the difficulties in achieving a comprehensive peace settlement.

Marcos has urged the Bangsamoro people to take control of their political future through parliamentary elections.

“Let this election show that the future of the Bangsamoro is shaped by the people themselves: through your voices, your choices, and your hopes for your respective communities,” Marcos said during the opening of National Peace Consciousness Month.

The President also assured the Bangsamoro people that the national government is prepared to support the first parliamentary elections in the autonomous region.

“ Despite several postponements, the government never lost hope and remains fully committed to supporting this democratic exercise,” the Chief Executive said.

The September 14 polls are scheduled to be the first elections for the Bangsamoro Parliament, a key component of the region's transition from the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to a regular autonomous government. Presidential News Desk