MANILA, Philippines – Many Filipinos believe that the next President of the Philippines should implement the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) – a landmark peace deal between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) following more than 17 years of peace negotiations and decades of armed conflict, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
The survey of SWS showed that there are more Filipinos, at 45%, who agree that the next president should implement the provisions of the CAB, compared to only 23% who disagreed. On the other hand, 31% were still undecided on the issue.
The result further showed that the highest number of those who want the next President to implement the CAB was registered in the National Capital Region or Metro Manila, with majority or 51% of the respondents agreeing. This was followed by 48% in Mindanao, 47% in the rest of Luzon, and 36% in the Visayas.
The survey was conducted by the SWS from March 30 to April 2 among 1,500 respondents nationwide with ± 3% error margin. It was commissioned by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, which oversees the peace process of the government. “The survey proves that the most Filipinos want to sustain the gains achieved by President Benigno S. Aquino III and his administration in resolving the Bangsamoro issue,” Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles said.
She said this should be a strong incentive for the incoming President to sustain the gains in the Bangsamoro peace process and continue the implementation of the provisions agreed upon by the government and the MILF under the CAB, including the passage into law of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that would replace the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao with the Bangsamoro autonomous region.
“Strong foundations have been laid down by this administration to find lasting political solutions to the decades-old armed conflict in Mindanao. Now, the challenge is for the incoming administration to uphold and implement those agreements,” she added.
The peace adviser also said that “most Filipinos share the belief that peace could be achieved with the full implementation of the CAB. The next President has to abide with this sentiment for peace in the Bangsamoro and the entire Philippines.”
Many Filipinos want next President to implement CAB – SWS
