The deadly attack on Monday on a group of about 50 villagers celebrating the end of Ramadan by Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group in the Philippines, was another reminder that the Philippine government must move forward with the peace agreement it signed in March with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest insurgent group. Muslim insurgency in the southern island of Mindanao has bedeviled the largely Catholic country for over a century. In recent decades, more than 120,000 people have been killed and more than two million people displaced in the government's fight against the rebels. Mindanao remains mired in violence and poverty.

The March agreement promises autonomy to the Muslim-dominated region and a wealth-sharing scheme in which 75 percent of tax revenues from metals mined and 50 percent of revenues from gas and oil will go to an authority in Bangsamoro, a newly formed autonomous region. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front agrees to incorporate its 11,000 fighters into the Philippine Army and move to disarm other rebel groups, including Abu Sayyaf, which is opposed to the peace agreement. In a region plagued by tribal divisions, dismantling extremist groups will be a top priority. The hope is that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will be able to carry that out and eventually create a government responsible for law and order.

To fulfill the peace agreement, the Philippine Congress needs to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law and a plebiscite needs to be held in Mindanao. The agreement is among the most important achievements of President Benigno Aquino III, and there is concern that the deal could collapse if not enacted before he leaves office in 2016. Some in the Congress say parts of the agreement violate certain constitutional provisions, such as those governing territorial boundary changes. Such questions need to be worked out quickly if there is any hope of bringing peace to the Philippines. (NY Times)