The collective effort by four provincial governors Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) appealing to skip the 2003 village polls on account of the mounting violence committed against high-ranking officials reflects a lot about the undercurrents affecting the peace and order in the region.

The appeal, as it suggests, bears on the failure of the government to speed up the execution of the mechanisms forged by the government with the Moros that are contained in the 2014 peace deal. In contrast to the fanfare that attended the signing of the deal, the atmosphere of stability in the BARMM following a series of ambushes in recent weeks is on the precipice.

The governors, in their joint letter, apprised the President that a few months into the first decade of the peace accord, the deactivation of MILF camps and the decommissioning of weapons have been on turtle’s pace. The delay has created discontent and it slowly stirring a hornet’s nest that, if the kinks are not irone out, will provoke a new round of discontent in the region.

The signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the establishment of the BARMM have always been viewed as positive steps in finally toning down the signs of discontent slowly dividing the State and the Moro fighters.

The reluctance of the implementers to put on track the nitty-gritty of the deal does not bode well for a smooth reconciliation. For the Moros who have embraced optimism that the accord will directly benefit them, there is a perceptible doubt the promises sealed in the deal will ever see the light of day. In the absence of urgency, the BARMM timetable is in jeopardy.

Issuing soothing statements, promises of speedy decommissioning, and assurances of better life for the people of the BARMM are not sufficient lip services given that these pledges do not address the basic clamor of the Muslim grassroots for opportunities, especially jobs and livelihood that will inspire them to work for a more progressive BARMM landscape.

The governors are right in arguing that pushing the 2023 elections is not even close to resolving the issue of discontent but throws under the bus the urgency to first stabilize the region before the exercise of suffrage can be peacefully executed.

Parallel to the discontent, the Ata of Zambales is similarly griping for failing to be given their due in the development of Subic, which is their ancestral domain. This is the same sentiment that seems to vibrate in t the MILF circle, which is that of being relegated.

An even more compelling aspect of nailing down normalcy in the region is for the leaders of BARMM to embrace fiscal reforms that bring into mainstream budgeting the true employ (as opposed to 15-30 scheme) of MILF and MNLF members as part of the larger bureaucratic agenda of developing the BARMM into an attractive investment turf that can offer skilled manpower.

The kinks, more than anything else, must be addressed permanently and hastily. Even the governors, using the controls in their power, should exert effort in finally definitive peace to the region, which is an important facet in luring investors and businesses to the BARMM. Failure to take the matter of peace seriously can be to the detriment of all.