PASIG CITY — The Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Technical Working Group on Transitional Justice and Reconciliation (TWG-TJR) briefed the legislative staff of the House of Representatives Special Committee on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (HoR-SCPRU), TJR subject matter experts, and members of civil society on proposed enhancements to current versions of the bill creating the National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission for the Bangsamoro (NTJRCB).
These proposed enhancements are part of the GPH and MILF’s joint efforts to move the legislative process forward to establish the NTJRCB, a national body that aims to heal the wounds of the past caused by conflict and, consequently, bring reconciliation and unity to the people.
"This is a testament that the legislative process is on track and is moving forward at a faster pace for the creation of the NTJRCB, which is among the major commitments of the GPH under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL),” said Presidential Peace Adviser and GPH Peace Implementing Panel Chairperson Secretary Mel Senen S. Sarmiento.
“Together with our MILF partners, we will continue working with both houses of Congress so that we can finally establish a national commission that will recognize what people went through, address the grievances where possible, and help individuals and communities move forward," Sec. Sarmiento explained.
On October 19, 2026, the TWG-TJR briefed the legislative staff of the House Special Committee on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity and concerned Congressional Committees on why it is crucial to create the commission, as it presented the enhanced version of the bill.
The following day, it held a briefing and consultation workshop with civil society organizations and TJR subject matter experts to further refine the bill before it is endorsed to the concerned congressional committees.
The enhanced version of the bill builds on the four bills that have been previously filed in the 20th Congress: House Bill 935, filed by the Akbayan Party-list; and Senate Bills 570, 532, and 854, filed by Senators Risa Hontiveros, Loren Legarda, and Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada.
The proposed enhancements to the bill include the following: strengthen the commission's guiding principles; clarify the scope of transitional justice as envisioned in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB); define how civil society will take part in the commission's work; clarify the commission's links with the Bangsamoro Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission; and refine its mandate and functions.
The drafting of the enhanced bill was led by Atty. Anna Tarhata Basman, drawing on the inputs gathered from stakeholders during roundtable discussions and key informant interviews with TJR subject matter experts and joint and parallel vetting sessions with the TWG-TJR.
The proposed enhancements to the bill were finalized on August 7, 2026, and jointly endorsed through TWG-TJR Resolution No. 3 to the GPH-MILF Peace Implementing Panels for approval.
The GPH and MILF Peace Implementing Panels approved the resolution during their Special Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on September 25, 2026, wherein they directed the TWG-TJR to work with various key stakeholders to refine, consolidate, and harmonize the versions.
In his closing statement at the meeting, MILF Peace Implementing Panel Chair Mohagher M. Iqbal stressed that transitional justice remains among the commitments the Parties must see through. "The Bangsamoro Government and the first parliamentary elections are major achievements. They do not mean that the peace process is complete. Decommissioning must be concluded. The camps must be transformed. Private armed groups must be dismantled. Transitional justice must be delivered. As a signatory to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the MILF continues to carry responsibility for seeing these through, and we expect the same of our partners," Iqbal said.
“The end goal of TJR is healing and reconciliation. We have to deal with the past towards healing and reconciliation, to talk about what happened and develop programs that will help communities heal. This is the ultimate face of the peace process. It is considered the heart and soul of the peace process, which is why discussions on TJ are important,” said MILF TWG-TJR Chair Ammier M. Dodo during the briefing with legislative staff of the HoR-SCPRU and concerned Congressional Committees.
“The overall objective in establishing the Commission should not be to reopen wounds or dwell on past atrocities, but to focus on advancing efforts toward healing and reconciliation,” said GPH TWG-TJR Chair and OPAPRU Executive Director Cesar D. De Mesa.
Once established, the NTJRCB would oversee and support a program to address the harm the Bangsamoro people have suffered during the decades-long conflict, including human rights violations and land dispossession.
The program would recognize what people went through, provide appropriate remedies to those affected, and help communities move forward. Transitional justice and reconciliation are a key component of the CAB and the BOL and are said to be the “heart and soul” of the Bangsamoro peace process.
The TWG-TJR, co-chaired by Executive Director Cesar D. De Mesa for the GPH and Mr. Ammier M. Dodo for the MILF, will next consolidate the inputs from the briefings and consultations and work with the legislative staff to harmonize the bills before their endorsement to the concerned congressional committees. PR