Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, MILF chair Hadji Murad Ibrahim, and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak were among the key people expected to be present at the signing of the agreement.

[6] In pursuit of their goal of liberating Bangsamoro, the MNLF engaged the government forces in extensive armed collisions,[7] peaking in the early 70s when the rebels’ blitz-like operations brought them control of a substantial number of municipalities surrounding Cotabato City and its airport complex.

On August 1, 1989, under the mandate of the new 1987 Constitution,[11] Congress enacted Republic Act 6734[12] authorizing the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Perhaps the most remarkable effort to bring closure to these movements was that of the Ramos Administration, which tried to reach out to both the communist and Muslim rebels through peaceful means.

On October 15, 2012, the Philippine government signed a much-hyped document touted as the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which culminated the Aquino Administration's effort to end the deadlock in the peace process.

This new document, while merely providing for a general framework for the actual peace negotiations, announced that "the status quo is unacceptable and that the Bangsamoro shall be established to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

[19] The ICG represented an innovation in peace process support, in that it was a hybrid body composed of both states and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs).

The members were Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and Japan, The Asia Foundation, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Muhammadiyah, and Conciliation Resources.