Despite the deadlock in their peace
negotiations, both the government and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) say they remain hopeful that they will be
able to resolve the contentious issues, allowing the talks to “move forward”
until they can reach a final peace agreement. “While we move toward the final stretch of
the peace negotiations, we remain steadfast, bolstered by lessons well-learned
from the past, and committed to find just and sustainable solutions to the many
aspects of the armed conflict that has crippled our country for many decades,”
government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said in her Christmas message.
The official MILF website, Luwaran.com,
said in an editorial titled “Grand Gestures” that while the talks are
deadlocked, the two parties “will be able to settle this in due time” owing to
their “goodwill and determination.”
The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro,
signed by the two sides in October, indicates a desire by both the government
and the MILF to conclude a comprehensive peace agreement before the end of the
year. Before breaking off for the holidays, the
Senate and the House passed resolutions in support of the framework agreement
and the creation of a transition commission that would
draft a basic law for the proposed autonomous Bangsamoro region in Mindanao.
Transition body
President Aquino signed an executive order
creating the Bangsamoro Transition Commission on Dec. 17. The commission’s work, the draft basic
law, will be submitted to Congress for approval. Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, sponsor of the
Senate resolution that all the senators signed as coauthors, said the framework
agreement was crucial to the attainment of lasting peace and economic
development in Muslim Mindanao. In addition to expressing support for the
framework agreement, the House resolution acknowledges the work of the
government and the MILF toward the establishment of an autonomous region for the
Bangsamoro people.
The government and the MILF made strides
in the power-sharing, wealth-sharing and normalization annexes to the framework
agreement, but failed to resolve the annex on arrangements and modalities. The annex indicates the steps for the
completion of the Mindanao peace process, with the establishment of a transition
authority as the ultimate step that the MILF views as “the real premium" in the
peace negotiations, now in their 16th year. The MILF wants to use its name in the
billing for the leaderhip of the
transition authority, but the government wants the lead to go to the Bangsamoro
people.
Aquino thinking
“We do not believe President Aquino has
this kind of thinking in relation to who will lead [the] Transition Authority,”
the MILF said on its website. “Even common sense would tell us that the
accolade or reward must belong and go to those who invested ‘sweat, tears [and
blood’ and not especially to those who rocked the boat when the sailing [was]
rough. Otherwise, the whole idea is not really to solve the Moro Question with
the MILF.” The MILF met over the weekend to start
choosing from its nominees to the 15-man transition commission.
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