Cotabato City – The Vice Chairman of the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), William Hovland, held a series of strategic meetings on September 25-26, 2025, with key stakeholders in the Bangsamoro peace process, including representatives from the MILF-JPSC, MILF JNC, the GPH CCCH, and the Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Administrator. The meetings served to introduce the new international IDB Chief of Staff, Mr. Frank Johansen and convey greetings from His Excellency Suat Akgun, and provide updates on the decommissioning process.

A central theme across the meetings was the importance of parallel and commensurate implementation of normalization commitments. Stakeholders stressed that the peace process is not solely about weapons and combatants; it must be equally focused on socio-economic packages for those decommissioned and the full implementation of the political track. While the IDB clarified its mandate—which concludes once combatants are verified—it reaffirmed its commitment to the integrity and confidentiality of the process, including the secure handling of sensitive data. Furthermore, updates were shared on the progress of forming the PWBU-TWG (Putting Weapons Beyond Use – Technical Working Group) and the ongoing coordination with the provincial government to ensure the continued use of the Old Capitol as an Assembly and Processing Area (APA) for decommissioning.

These engagements highlight a unified dedication to seeing the Bangsamoro peace process through to its successful completion, assuring stakeholders and the public of the ongoing, mutual support for stability and progress in the region. #MAM