On the Escalating Tensions in BARMM

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition expresses grave concern over worrisome reports of escalating tensions in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). These tensions erupted following the government’s move to effect a regime change in the region, triggering a breakdown in trust between parties to the peace process.

We mark a historic victory when both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). Yet today, we are alarmed that the MILF has suspended cooperation with its full implementation, including decommissioning. This is a dangerous turn of events that threatens to undo decades of painstaking progress toward peace.

We experienced firsthand that in fratricidal wars, it is workers who fall first. And we understand that real peace is not sealed by wishful thinking—it is secured by the vigilance of government and the continuing participation of the people.

We therefore strongly urge the immediate convening of a joint meeting of the Peace Implementing Panels of the GRP and the MILF to resolve outstanding issues, rebuild confidence, and return the peace process to its rightful track.

We likewise call on Malacañang—particularly Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Anton Lagdameo and OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.—to abandon divide-and-rule tactics that only deepen mistrust and risk reigniting conflict in Mindanao. Such an approach undermines not just the peace process but also the stability of the entire country.

For the labor movement, peace is not optional—it is fundamental. War is anathema to our very DNA. In every conflict, it is always the working class—whether among civilians or combatants—who bear the heaviest burdens of violence, displacement, and loss.

It is therefore imperative that the peace process is preserved, strengthened, and advanced. The future of Mindanao, and indeed the whole nation, depends on it.