Can the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) succeed in Mindanao where previous agreements failed?

Abstract

This thesis examines the major peace agreements between the Government of the Philippines (GOP) and the Moros. The study addresses whether the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) is likely to resolve the long-standing conflict between the GOP and the Moro separatist movements that date back to the 1960s. This study identifies why previous peace agreements between the GOP and rebel forces failed to achieve sustainable peace, and analyzes the extent to which the CAB addresses these failures. Specifically, this study compares the CAB to the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, the 1996 Final Peace Agreement, and the 2008 Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain. Though the CAB is still in the beginning stages of implementation, the effort by both groups toward making the agreement work suggests the likelihood of sustainable peace.