MANILA, Philippines—The government aims to sustain coordination efforts to support socio-economic assistance in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and move toward the eventual signing of an Exit Agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) by 2028, the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP) said.
In a statement, the OSAP said it was working to complete a clear and accurate baseline report on socio-economic assistance provided under the government’s normalization program in BARMM within the first quarter of 2026. The OSAP said this would serve as the basis for setting targets from 2026 to 2028 and for drafting a Joint Roadmap moving forward.
Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo Jr. recently convened a coordination meeting with key agencies to review the status of initiatives under the normalization program, particularly the Camps Transformation Plan, which aims to improve living conditions in communities located in Moro Islamic Liberation Front camps. The program also provides economic for former combatants and their families.
There are 26,145 decommissioned combatants under the normalization program who are being provided education and livelihood support.
Present during the meeting were officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Agriculture and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity. DPWH Secretary Vince Vizon, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Opapru Senior Undersecretary Isidro Purisima, Presidential Assistant for Bangsamoro Transformation David Diciano, ICCMN Secretariat co-head Wendell Orbeso, Joint Normalization Committee Chairman Ariel Hernandez, Joint Task Force on Camps Transformation co-chairman Baintan Ampatuan and others discussed the validation of project submissions and clarified coverage, targets, and data gaps to determine follow-up actions.
"On behalf of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, allow me to reaffirm this administration’s full support for the continued implementation of the Peace Agreements and the normalization process," Lagdameo Jr. said. "We remain committed to ensuring that the hard earned and deeply meaningful [gains] are protected, expanded and carried into the next generation," he added.
OSAP emphasized that stronger coordination among agencies is crucial to ensure the timely completion of projects in BARMM.
