The Aquino administration and the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA) and its political arm, the Cordillera Bodong Administration (CBA), on Monday signed a closure agreement that formally ended a 25-year armed rebellion in the region.
An estimated 1,200 former rebels will be integrated back into mainstream society, with both the CPLA and the CBA shifting from being a rebel organization to a socio-economic institution in the Cordilleras.
The agreement, “Towards the CPLA’s Final Disposition of Arms and Forces and its Transformation into a Potent Socio-Economic Unarmed Force," was signed by Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, and CPLA chairman Arsenio Humiding and CBA chair Marcelina Bahatan.
President Benigno Aquino III and the CPLA-CBA officials then exchanged tokens as symbols their respective commitments to the pact.
The President gave Humining and Bahatan a capiz sculpture that represents the administration’s vision of peace and development for the country and the Filipino people. In return, he received a traditional, hand-woven G-string ensemble to which Aquino responded in jest, “Hindi yata babagay sa akin iyan."
In 1986, the CPLA-CBA broke off with the New People’s Army (NPA) and started negotiations with government then under President Corazon Aquino, mother of incumbent President Aquino.
The closure agreement provides for community-identified projects, livelihood and employment support for CPLA members, sub-regional development projects, legacy documentation and final disposition of arms and forces, “all leading towards the group's development into an unarmed, socio-economic organization," Deles said.
Also to be created under the agreement is a joint committee to oversee the management, operation and utilization of resources in the implementation of development projects. The committee will also monitor and evaluate the progress of the agreement, as well as make sure that transparency measures, a grievance mechanism, and a mediation and conciliation system are in place.
Integration program
Once the integration program is in place, qualified CPLA members may be integrated into the Armed Forces of the Philippines or employed with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as forest guards or rangers, or other government agencies in need of personnel.
The Aquino administration expects the agreement to draw attention to efforts at ending all armed conflict, including the pursuit of peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), Deles said.
In terms of the program’s impact in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Deles said it would help promote social and economic development in the region.
“This would make it easier for us to facilitate support from all stakeholders, including the civil society groups, the private sector, the local government units, and the donor communities," she said.
Mt. Data Peace Accord
In a speech he gave after the agreement was signed, President Aquino underscored concerted government efforts and the people of Cordillera in attaining peace and progress in the region as envisioned by his late mother.
One of the concrete accomplishments of his mother was the September 1986 signing of the Mt. Data Peace Accord between the government and the CPLA that fought the Marcos regime, Aquino said.
“Sa araw pong ito, humahakbang tayo tungo sa katuparan ng isa sa mga pangunahing mithiin ng aking ina, ang makamit ang pambansang kapayapaan at pagkakaisa. Mula sa pagiging ilaw ng tahanan hanggang sa kanyang panunungkulan bilang Pangulo ng bansa, mula sa kanyang pagiging isang simpleng sibilyan hanggang sa kanyang huling hantungan, tangan ng aking ina ang liwanag ng kapayapaan na siya niyang ipinamana sa sambayanang Pilipino," he said.
The President cited all individuals and groups involved in forging the closure agreement, their efforts and contributions in the peace negotiations. He also enjoined the Cordilleran communities to continue cooperating with the government in maintaining peace and order in their area, and challenged them to take their part towards quietude and progress.
“Kaya namin kayong tulungan. Dadamayan namin kayo sa bawat hakbang, pero sa dulo po noon kayo naman po talaga ang aasahan namin para may mangyari po sa Cordillera. Siguro naman po talagang mapapabilis natin ang pagbabago sa susunod na dalawang taon," he said. — VS,
