Duterte admin vows to end insurgency within its term of office

By Teng Lauban Datu
Cotabato City Bureau Chief .

GENERAL SANTOS City — The Duterte Administration is determined to find a long-lasting solution to the insurgency in the country within its term, according to Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr.

“With the strong leadership and political will of the Duterte administration, we will no longer pass on the Mindanao conflict and local communist armed struggle to our future generations,” Galvez said during the celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month held here at the Mindanao State University here on Wednesday.

He said President Duterte wants to resolve the insurgency problem before his term ends and not pass it on to the next administration.

“President [Rodrigo] Duterte said before I step down, I would like that peace will reign in our homeland. Let us invest in peace because without peace, there is no development,” he told hundreds of students and professors gathered at the gymnasium here.

Gains in the peace processes

The Duterte Administration has achieved significant milestones in its peace-building efforts halfway through its term.

In the Bangsamoro peace process, the President lived up to his campaign promise of passing the Bangsamoro Organic Law, a landmark piece of legislation.

The BOL paved the way for the creation of a more powerful Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) which truly reflects the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people, particularly their desire for genuine autonomy.

For its part, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) began the decommissioning of its combatants and weapons last month. Six government-acknowledged camps will also be transformed into peaceful and productive civilian communities.

President Duterte has also engaged the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) which signed a final peace agreement with the government in 1996. (with reports from opapp)