EMBARGOED TILL

TPMT 11:00 AM
Friday February 13

13 February 2015
Contact: Alistair MacDonald, Chair and Spokesperson
TPMT.MacDonald@gmail.com
Press Release

Third-Party Monitoring Team issues its second annual Public Report

Highlights considerable progress in 2014, before clash in Mamasapano

The Third-Party Monitoring Team (TPMT), formally established in 2013 as part of the peace
process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, today
issued its second annual Public Report.

TPMT Chair Alistair MacDonald said “The recent tragic events at Mamasapano have
underlined yet again the human costs of conflict, and the TPMT joins in expressing their
condolences to the families of all the victims. Pending the results of the various investigations
now being carried out, it would be premature to comment substantively on these events. But it
will be essential to protect the future while providing just remedies for the past – and that
future can only prosper in the context of a widespread and lasting peace.”

MacDonald added that while public attention was necessarily focused on the recent tragedy, it
was nevertheless important not to overlook the substantial progress which had been achieved
during 2014 in different dimensions of the peace process. “Ending decades of violent
conflict can not be accomplished overnight,” he said, “and the painstaking efforts of all those
working for peace deserve to be acknowledged.” MacDonald therefore hoped that this second
annual report of the TPMT would serve to recall the distance that had already been travelled,
while acknowledging the challenges that still lay ahead.

In its report released today, the TPMT noted that 2014 had seen major progress in the
implementation of the peace agreements – notably including the completion of the
Normalisation Annex in January, the historic signature of the Comprehensive Agreement on
the Bangsamoro in March, the submission of the draft BBL to Congress in September, and the
launching immediately thereafter of the extensive Congressional consultations and
deliberations on the BBL.

In addition, work continued on all the other dimensions of the agreements, including :
- initial progress in the normalisation track, setting up three major normalisation bodies
(JNC, TJRC, IDB), and preparing for the first ceremonial turnover of crew-served
weapons and high-powered firearms by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s BIAF to the
Independent Decommissioning Body
- continued work on socio-economic development, including through the Sajahatra
Bangsamoro programme as well as the preparation of a detailed Bangsamoro
Development Plan
- preparing for the transition from ARMM to Bangsamoro Transition Authority, with the
establishment of a Coordinating Committee for the Transition. .

Progress was not as rapid as either Party would have wished, and delays were encountered in
a number of areas – for example in completing the drafting of the BBL, in some of the
practical aspects of normalisation, or in the implementation of socio-economic programmes.

Looking forward, multiple challenges had already existed (even before the tragic events at
Mamasapano)
- completing deliberations on the BBL in a timely manner, in a form compliant with the
agreements and not subject to major challenges in the Supreme Court
- preparing for the successful conduct of the plebiscite to ratify the BBL and determine the
geographic scope of the Bangsamoro
- arranging for a smooth transition from ARMM to BTA, including addressing the
challenges arising from a much shorter-than-expected transition period
- ensuring the necessary support for socio-economic development
- and achieving the greatest possible sense of inclusivity, among all the inhabitants of the
future Bangsamoro

Now, since 25 January, many of these pre-existing challenges will become even more acute.
Emotions run high, and confidence in the process has taken a knock. But while the challenges
are great, the prizes to be gained are even greater – creating a sustainable peace, allowing the
region to achieve its full potential and to contribute more effectively to the prosperity and
security of the nation as a whole.

And the best guarantees of success are the continuing commitment to peace of both Parties, at
the highest level, the massive engagement of Congress and the public in deliberating on the
BBL, and the underlying hopes of the people of Mindanao that their children should be able
to grow and prosper in a peaceful and just society.

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Background

The independent Third-Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) was set up by the Government of the
Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to monitor the implementation of the
GPH-MILF peace agreement, as provided for in the Framework Agreement on the
Bangsamoro (FAB) signed on 15 October 2012.

The TMPT has five members (two nominated by the GPH, two by the MILF, and a jointly-
nominated Chair) : Huseyin Oruç (IHH, Turkey), Karen Tañada (Gaston Z Ortigas Peace
Institute, Philippines), Rahib Kudto (UNYPAD, Philippines), Steven Rood (The Asia
Foundation, USA), and Alistair MacDonald (Chair, former EU Ambassador to the
Philippines, now retired).

The TPMT is tasked with monitoring, reviewing and assessing the implementation of all
signed agreements between the Parties, primarily the FAB and its Annexes. In particular, its
basic functions are to :
- monitor and evaluate the implementation of all agreements;
- review and assess the progress of the implementation of commitments by both Parties
under the Agreements (submitting comprehensive periodic reports and updates to both
Parties for their appropriate action);
- and to communicate to the public the progress and developments in the implementation of
the Agreements of the Parties.

The TPMT was launched in July of 2013, on the basis of Terms of Reference agreed by the
Parties in January 2013. The TPMT has so far convened nine times in the Philippines, on a
roughly two-monthly basis, and will continue its work through until the completion of the Exit
Document foreseen in the FAB.

The present Public Report is the second such report issued by the TPMT (the first having been
issued in February 2014).
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