MANILA, Philippines – A coalition of civil society organizations, academic institutions, and advocates urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reconstitute the leadership of the government peace panel.

This is part of a broad appeal for the national government to restore confidence in the peace process amid “troubling dysfunction.”

“Decisive leadership is needed now to ensure that the commitments of the peace agreements are fully honored and that the transition remains on track,” said the coalition. The groups formally transmitted the appeal to the President on Thursday, March 12.

Aside from the reshuffling of leadership, the groups called on the empowerment of the government’s Peace Implementing Panel, the rebuilding of trust and confidence of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the reaffirmation of commitment to the peace process, and the conduct of regular high-level dialogue between the government and the Bangsamoro leadership.

The Government Peace Implementing Panel is the counterpart of the MILF in the implementation of the 2014 peace agreement. Retired general Cesar Yano, who was chair of the government peace panel, submitted his resignation in early 2026.

Among the signatories of the appeal were former peace negotiators Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Senen Bacani, and Yasmin Busran Lao, and former presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Quintos Deles.

They appealed to the legacy that Marcos may leave behind after his term: “Resolving the present governance challenges would not only safeguard the gains of peace in Mindanao; it would also enable the successful execution of an exit agreement by the end of your term — an achievement of historic national and global significance.”

Dearth of leadership

The MILF previously raised the issue of this dearth of leadership in February.

“Without a Chair carrying the clear mandate of the President, there is no interlocutor,” an editorial from the MILF central committee read.

“There is no mechanism for resolving implementation disputes. There is no credible table at which the two parties can meet.”

The MILF also pointed out that the Government Peace Implementing Panel should not be conflated with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, an office concerned with the broad assignment of fulfilling the government’s commitments to peace agreements. The OPAPRU is led by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.

This conflation, said MILF, “obscures accountability.”

“It creates confusion about which office speaks with authority on matters arising from the CAB (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro). And it signals, whether intended or not, a diminishment of the CAB’s own implementing structure.”

A recent report from the International Crisis Group warned that failure to stabilize the transition may mean more trouble in the Bangsamoro.

The transition to full autonomy, the report said, is troubled by delays in the first parliamentary elections, Manila’s interventions in Bangsamoro politics, unfinished decommissioning of former rebels, and challenges to normalization. – Rappler.com