Wiki Article
Mohagher Iqbal
Nguồn dữ liệu từ Wikipedia, hiển thị bởi DefZone.Net
Mohagher Iqbal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament | |
| Assumed office 22 February 2019 | |
| Nominated by | Moro Islamic Liberation Front |
| Appointed by | Rodrigo Duterte |
| Chief Minister | Murad Ebrahim |
| Minister of the Basic, Higher and Technical Education of the BARMM | |
| Assumed office 26 February 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Datucan M. Abas Cotabato City, Philippines |
| Party | United Bangsamoro Justice Party |
| Occupation | Politician, peace negotiator |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Moro National Liberation Front (1972–1977) Moro Islamic Liberation Front (1977–2019) |
| Years of service | 1972–2019 |
| Battles/wars | Moro conflict |
Datucan M. Abas (born in Cotabato City), better known by his nom de guerre Mohagher Iqbal, is a Filipino politician and former revolutionary leader who heads the Bangsamoro Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE). He served as the chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and was a principal signatory of the 2012 Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Since February 2019, he has served as the first MBHTE minister and as a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament.[1][2]
Early life and education
[edit]Iqbal was born in Cotabato City and grew up in what is now Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a minor in History in 1969 and a Master of Arts in Political Science in 1972 from Manuel L. Quezon University in Manila; his graduate thesis was titled The Muslim Secession Movement in the Philippines.[1]
Revolutionary career
[edit]Entry into the Moro movement
[edit]After the declaration of martial law in 1972, Iqbal joined the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) as a foot soldier in Cotabato and later chaired the Kutawato Revolutionary Committee’s propaganda arm. Following the 1977 schism, he joined the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, chaired its Committee on Information from 1979, and was elected to the Central Committee.[1]
MILF negotiator
[edit]In July 2003, the MILF leadership appointed Iqbal chair of its peace negotiating panel with the Government of the Philippines, overseeing ceasefire and normalization mechanisms and representing the MILF in formal talks.[3]
Role in the peace process
[edit]Iqbal was a principal signatory to:
- the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, signed 15 October 2012;[4]
- the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, signed 27 March 2014 at Malacañang Palace, which formally concluded peace negotiations between the GPH and the MILF.[5]
He chaired the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), which drafted the Bangsamoro Basic Law, from 2013 to 2016, and returned as a commissioner when the BTC was expanded in 2017.[6]
Political career
[edit]Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament
[edit]Iqbal took his oath as a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) on 22 February 2019; the BTA Parliament held its inaugural session on 29 March 2019 in Cotabato City.[7][2]
Minister of MBHTE
[edit]Following ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Iqbal the inaugural Minister of Basic, Higher and Technical Education on 26 February 2019.[1] The MBHTE consolidated regional functions for basic and higher education and technical–vocational training. As minister, Iqbal has led sectoral coordination and programs on school infrastructure, teacher development, and learning resources across the region.[1]
He has also pursued partnerships with national universities. In 2022, the MBHTE and the University of the Philippines signed accords on teacher training and graduate education.[8]
In November 2024, Iqbal highlighted MBHTE’s achievements at the Second Bangsamoro Education Summit, including over 1.1 million enrolled students, expansion of the AKAP program for remote learners, and growth of madrasah education and teacher hiring.[9]
In 2025, MBHTE launched “Project Iqbal” to distribute learning kits and devices to ensure no Bangsamoro learner is left behind, and rolled out Peace and Justice Education modules with Save the Children and EU support.[10][11]
In August 2025, the Commission on Audit ordered a special audit of MBHTE’s ₱2.2 billion worth of alleged anomalous disbursements, including ₱1.77 billion paid in a single day and ₱449 million to one supplier.[12]
Name and authorship
[edit]Iqbal’s legal name has been a subject of public debate. In 2015, a Senate hearing raised the allegation that his real name is Datucan M. Abas. Iqbal declined to publicly confirm the claim, saying noms de guerre were commonly used in revolutionary contexts and that the government knew his identity.[13][14]
During the peace talks, Iqbal co-signed key agreements with government panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, who later affirmed that Iqbal’s identity was known to and accepted by the government.[15]
Writing under the pen name Salah Jubair, Iqbal has authored several works on the Bangsamoro struggle and the peace process, including:
- Bangsamoro: A Nation Under Endless Tyranny (multiple editions)
- The Long Road to Peace: Inside the GRP–MILF Peace Process
- Negotiating Peace: An Insider Perspective of the Bangsamoro Struggle for Self-Determination (2018).[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Profile – Mohagher M. Iqbal". Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ a b "BTA holds inaugural session in Cotabato City". Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, a man of peace". Luwaran. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro". United Nations Peacemaker. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Philippines and MILF sign peace pact". BBC News. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Duterte appoints new BTC commissioners". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Iqbal, Mohagher M." Bangsamoro Parliament. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "UP, BARMM ministry sign accords on education". University of the Philippines. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Education Minister Iqbal Highlights MBHTE Achievements". Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Iqbal ensures inclusive education for Bangsamoro learners as SY 2025–2026 begins". 19 June 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Newly launched educational modules intensify peace, justice advocacy for Bangsamoro learners". 12 August 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "COA orders special audit on BARMM education ministry's ₱2.2 B alleged anomalous disbursements". Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Senate grills MILF chief negotiator on real identity". GMA News Online. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Palace says Iqbal's use of alias should not affect peace pact". GMA News Online. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro". Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Iqbal launches book on peace negotiations". MindaNews. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2025.