Press Release
October 8, 2012

KIKO HAILS BREAKTHROUGH IN PEACE PROCESS

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Sunday hailed the recent breakthrough in the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that helped create the entity Bangsamoro, the entity that will now replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

"We have repeatedly said that the ARMM is a failed experiment. It is about time that we provide our brothers in the south a new, more appropriate political body that will promote the best interests of Muslim Mindanao in line with what has been guaranteed them under the 1987 Constitution. The ARMM has proven to be outdated and unable to respond with the changing times, and has failed to meet the needs of Filipinos in the region. We are confident that the creation of the Bangsamoro, as a tangible output of the peace process, will be more responsive to the needs of Filipinos in the south."

"We hope that this will offer a good start and a brighter hope to those of us who seek lasting peace in Mindanao," Pangilinan emphasized.

Pangilinan also pointed out that lasting peace and security in the region are bedrocks of economic progress.

"Economic prosperity has shown to be a natural neutralizer of social unrest. The creation of jobs and enterprises, and the realization of the potential of our fellow Filipinos in the south, will usher in a renaissance in the Philippines unlike any other we have experienced before. That said, we will fully support this move that will affect the lives of millions of Filipinos who have waited generations for peace to finally come to more parts of Mindanao."

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