00:00 Instead of being the very stumbling blocks towards achieving peace and order,
00:04 former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front
00:09 are now one with government in achieving this said goal.
00:12 This is part of government and previous administrations effort to not only achieve lasting peace,
00:18 but also ensure those who were once part of the insurgency do not return to such life
00:23 and instead become reliable partners in nation building.
00:26 The details in this story.
00:29 [News Anchor]
00:31 Hundreds of members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF
00:36 and Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF
00:39 are now active members of the Philippine National Police or PNP
00:43 and the Armed Forces of the Philippines or AFP.
00:47 This is part of their integration under the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsa Moro
00:51 that even past administrations have worked on to reach a peace agreement that is acceptable to both parties.
00:58 BARM Chief Minister Ahud Ibrahim wants the entire agreement to be implemented in a democratic way.
01:04 This following former President Rodrigo Duterte's call for Mindanao to separate from the rest of the country.
01:10 The BARM chief urged the public to protect all those that stand to benefit from the peace process
01:15 and for peace to reign over Mindanao.
01:18 This is also the sentiment of the Bangsa Moro Transition Authority or BTA.
01:23 For the BTA, the decades-long struggle due to the armed secessionism in Mindanao is over.
01:28 True autonomy and the peace agreement can bring is within reach and should no longer be hampered.
01:34 For Presidential Advisor on Peace Reconciliation and Unity or OPAP RU,
01:39 Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., there is peace and unity while division brings about chaos.
01:45 He added it is unconstitutional for Mindanao to secede from the rest of the Philippines.
01:50 Secondly, Bangsa Moro is already reaping the rewards the peace agreement brings and they are now part of nation-building.
01:56 The Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy is opposed to the idea of secession,
02:01 saying that the country's second largest island is not affected by political tension.
02:06 The Kabataan Partylist is asking if secession could indeed help in the development of Mindanao,
02:11 why didn't the former President push for it when he was still the chief executive?
02:15 The problems of Mindanao will not be solved by the collapse of the Philippines.
02:20 In poverty, armed secession, and the collapse of the environment.
02:25 Like the PIPOS Initiative and Charter Change,
02:28 the Mindanao Secession Plan being cooked by Rodrigo Duterte is a personal matter.
02:33 While for Senator Ronald Galarosa,
02:35 Worst comes to worst, I would hope for the separation, legally, in a legal way.
02:45 But if it can be saved, we have to save it.
02:50 We only have one Philippines.
02:52 We should not dismember our country.
02:59 This is Sharmza Espina for The Nation.
