GRP-MILF Peace Process

By Crickets

  • Sign the Agreement of the General Framework for the Resumption

    Presidential adviser on the peace process Eduardo Ermita and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice-chair for military affairs Al Haj Murad Ebrahim sign the Agreement of the General Framework for the Resumption of peace talks between the GRP and MILF. Malaysia assists in the peace talks by brokering between the two parties.
  • Period: to

    Peace Prcess

  • Signs Republic Act 9054

    President Arroyo signs Republic Act 9054, an amendment of Republic Act 6734. The act aims to strengthen and expand the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

  • GRP-MILF Tripoli Agreement is signed

    The ancestral domain aspect of the GRP-M ILF Tripoli Agreement is signed in Libya. The following day, the military attacks the MILF in Basilan due to allegations that the latter is helping the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, which was then keeping a number of American and Filipino hostages in Basilan.

  • Inclusion in ARMM

    Six municipalities in Lanao del Norte vote for inclusion in ARMM. These municipalities are Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan, and Tangkol.

  • North Cotabato refuse to be included

    The people of North Cotabato vote against the plebiscite and refuse to be included in ARMM.

  • Unity talks between MILF and MNLF

    The MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) hold unity talks. The MNLF had already signed a peace agreement with the government in 1996 under the Ramos administration.

  • Rebellion in Sulu and Zamboanga

    Former MNLF governor Nur Misuari starts a rebellion in Sulu and Zamboanga City, derailing the ARMM elections.

  • Misuari deported

    Misuari is deported from Sabah, Malaysia and faces rebellion charges in the country.

  • Fourth round of formal peace talks

    The fourth round of formal peace talks between the government and the MILF begins. The talks produced the following agreements: 1) Joint Communique to veto criminal syndicates and kidnap-for-ransom groups in Mindanao; 2) Implementing Guidelines on the Humanitarian Rehabilitation and Development aspect of the GRP-MILF Tripoli Agreement of Peace of 2001. These agreements became controversial because Norberto Gonzalez, the President’s adviser on special concerns, and not Jesus Dureza, leader of the

  • Draft of final peace agreement

    The government peace panel led by Dureza presents a draft of the final peace agreement to House Speaker Jose de Venecia and Senate President Franklin Drilon.

  • Military campaign

    A military campaign is launched in the Muslim village of Buliok during the end of the Hajj. This offends the MILF and other Muslims, igniting a clash between the two parties that lasted for a week.

  • Exploratory talks take place in Kuala Lumpur.

  • Davao is bombed

    Davao is bombed twice and grenades are hauled in three mosques. The government blames the MILF for these commotions. The latter denies the allegations.

  • President Arroyo cancels peace talks.

  • MILF declares a 20-day ceasefire that extends until June 12.

  • MILF chair Salamat Hashim dies

    MILF chair Salamat Hashim dies of a heart attack and Ebrahim Murad takes over. Mohagher Iqbal becomes the chairman of the MILF peace panel.

  • Agreement on a mutual cessation of hostilities

    In the peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, the government and the MILF panels agree on a “mutual cessation of hostilities.” The Abaya Doctrine, or the AFP guidelines on the primacy of the GRP-MILF peace process, is formulated.

  • Exploratory peace talks in Kuala Lumpur

    Exploratory peace talks in Kuala Lumpur yield the following: 1) gradual pull-out of the troops in Buliok; 2) deployment of the Third Party Monitoring Team to Mindanao; 3) formation of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG); and 4) ancestral domain is set as next agenda for the peace talks.

  • Sixty peace monitors

    Sixty peace monitors from Malaysia, Brunei, and Libya are deployed to Mindanao to monitor the five-year truce between the two parties. Malaysia sends 41 unarmed soldiers.

  • Discussion on ancestral domain

    The discussion on ancestral domain, the last of the three major agenda items, is divided into four strands: concept, territory, resources, and governance.

  • 7th round of exploratory talks

    The seventh round of exploratory talks in Malaysia concludes the discussion on concept, territory, and resources.

  • Finished the most difficult hurdle

    Silvestre Afable, head of the GRP panel, and Iqbal say the panels successfully finished the “most difficult hurdle in the ancestral domain agenda.”

  • Peace negotiators promise to draft an overall framework of the ancestral domain by late March.

  • Malaysia cancels the peace talks

    Malaysia cancels the peace talks between the GRP and the MILF because of the political situation in Manila. Arroyo declared a state of emergency on February 24, which was lifted a week after.

  • Japan sends a delegation to Manila

    Japan sends a delegation to Manila to talk about Japan’s contributions to the peace process.

  • Peace talks resume

    The peace talks between GRP and MILF resume but will possibly extend beyond September. Difficulties in the talks arise as both parties do not agree on the areas to be placed under the Bangsamoro Judicial Entity (BJE).

  • Arroyo instructs the AFP

    Arroyo instructs the AFP to “work closely with the mechanisms of the peace process to keep combatants in place.”

  • Silvestre Afable resigns

    Silvestre Afable resigns reportedly because of lack of support from the governments

  • Marine officers are beheaded

    Marine officers are beheaded in Basilan after skirmishes with the MILF

  • Arroyo calls

    Arroyo calls for a “pilot implementation of the envisioned Muslim ancestral domain regime.”

  • Arroyo calls “urgent” peace talks with the MILF

    Arroyo calls “urgent” peace talks with the MILF to resolve the Basilan situation.

  • The government cancels meeting

    The government cancels a scheduled meeting with the MILF in Malaysia. Peace talks scheduled to resume in September.

  • The government and MILF peace panel chairs

    The government panel chair Rodolfo Garcia and MILF peace panel chair Iqbal say in a joint statement that formal talks on ancestral domain can be finally be concluded, ending the 13-month impasse between the two parties.

  • Parties agree

    The parties agree to the scope and boundaries of the ancestral domain and affirm “all previous points of consensus on the core items of the territory issue.”

  • Peace talks are stalled

    Peace talks are stalled due to constitutional issues between the two parties. The ancestral domain negotiations reach a deadlock.

  • Malaysia starts to pull out their soldiers in Mindanao.

    Malaysia, a member of the International Monitoring Team, starts to pull out their soldiers in Mindanao.

  • The Malaysian troops withdraw

    The Malaysian troops withdraw from Mindanao. British experts promise to help in the peace talks.

  • An informal emergency meeting between the GRP and MILF

    An informal emergency meeting between the GRP and MILF is called to defuse tension between the two groups. Here, MILF complains about the deployment of troops near their bases, claiming the move is “a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

  • A deal on ancestral domain

    A deal on ancestral domain of some local Muslim communities is made between the two parties in Kuala Lumpur.

  • Sangguniang Panlalawigan of North Cotabato passes a resolution

    The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of North Cotabato passes a resolution opposing to be included in the ARMM homeland.

  • GRP and MILF start their talks

    GRP and MILF start their talks in Kuala Lumpur. In Manila, pro-government legislators in the House of Representatives file a bill to postpone the August 11 elections in ARMM.

  • The ancestral domain deal fails to be signed.

    July 25 – After two days of negotiations in Kuala Lumpur, the ancestral domain deal fails to be signed.

  • The two groups sign a joint communique

    The two groups sign a joint communiqué on the Muslim ancestral domain. The MOA provides that about 700 villages in Mindanao will hold a referendum within 12 months (of the MOA signing) if they want to join the Muslim homeland. The signing of the agreement is temporarily set on August 5. Formal peace deal scheduled to be concluded in November 2009.

  • Local officials ask to block the signing

    Local officials from North Cotabato ask the Supreme Court to block the signing of the agreement between GRP and MILF.

  • Supreme Court issues a temporary restraining order

    The Supreme Court issues a Temporary Restraining Order for the signing of the ancestral domain in Malaysia on August 5.

  • Senators file petitions with Supreme Court

    Sen. Mar Roxas and former Senator Franklin Drilon file petitions with the Supreme Court to stop the Philippine government from concluding the MOA with the MILF.

  • The Supreme Court holds oral arguments on the GRP-MILF MOA.

  • Joint Statement of the GRP Interagency Technical Working Group (GRP IATWG) and the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA)

  • Joint Statement (Special Meeting of the GRP and MILF Chairmen)

  • Framework Agreement on the Formation of the International Contact Group for the GRP-MILF Peace Process

  • Joint Statement (Special Meeting of the GRP and MILF Chairmen)

  • Joint Statement; Resumption of the GRP-MILF Peace Negotiations

  • Guidelines for implementation of the Philippine campaign

    Guidelines for the Implementation of the Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines-Fondation Suisse De Deminage (PCBL-FSD) Project Pursuant to the Joint Statement of the GRP-MILF Peace Panels Dated 15 November 2007

  • Declaration of Continuity for Peace Negotiation

    Declaration of Continuity of Peace Talks Declaration of Continuity for Peace Negotiation Between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front