'We chose peace'

Even during the Spanish colonization period, the relations between the Muslim and the non-Muslim population in the Philippines has always been conflict-ridden.

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For a long time, this relationship was characterized by violence as the only perceived ultimate solution. The final Peace Agreement is, to me, one of the most underrated accomplishments in our history.

That is why to me the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro is such a critical event.

For those of us who truly want to become a serious student of Philippine history and for others who want to simply learn and appreciate the story of the Bangsamoro peace talks, we are very fortunate that all of these events are now thoroughly chronicled in the book "We Chose Peace: An Insider's Story of the Bangsamoro Peace Talks" (University of the Philippines Press, 2024) written by Miriam Coronel Ferrer, the Philippine lead negotiator who signed, in behalf of the Philippine government, the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The blurb of the book says it "offers insights into the intricacies of a difficult political process, the ways and means by which it was approached and how complicated issues were resolved in the midst of intermittent explosions of violence and vacillating public opinion." It is written in a very readable narrative form and in fact, reads like a novel in some parts. It becomes more interesting because of the author's personal notes and the photographs of the different stages of the negotiations process.