MILF urges Aquino to appoint TransCom members

From MindaNews (Jan 23): MILF urges Aquino to appoint TransCom members

With its nominees to the Transition Commission (TransCom) already submitted to the Malaysian facilitator, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) called on President Benigno C. Aquino III to appoint them, including their counterparts on the government side. Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, said Monday the front’s Central Committee has approved the composition of the MILF TransCom members.

He, however, did not identify the MILF’s nominees to the TransCom, which shall, among others, draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law. “Hopefully, all the TransCom members will be appointed immediately so that they can start work next month,” Jaafar said in a radio interview.

The creation of the TransCom comes as a result of Executive Order 120 signed by Aquino last December 17. It shall be composed of 15 members all appointed by the President in accordance with the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) that was signed by the government and the MILF in Malacanang last October 15. The TransCom will be composed of eight members from the MILF and seven from the government. As agreed in the FAB, it shall be headed by the MILF. EO 120 said the TransCom shall cease operation upon the enactment by Congress of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

For its operation, the body will have an initial allocation of P100,000,000 from the contingent fund of the Office of the President. Appropriation for succeeding years shall be incorporated in budget proposals under the Office of the President.

Jaafar said they expect the Malaysian facilitator, Tengku Dato’ Ghafar Tengku bin Mohamed, to hand the MILF’s nominees to the TransCom to the government peace panel. The peace panels of both sides resumed amity talks in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

In a statement, Miriam Colonel-Ferrer, government peace panel chair, said that in this round of talks, they aim to settle the few remaining issues across the four annexes that together with the Framework Agreement will comprise the Comprehensive Agreement.

These issues, she said, pertain to jurisdiction over natural resources; transportation and communication; the extent of territorial waters; taxing powers; timetables for decommissioning and demilitarization; policing structures; and the transition authority, among others.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2013/01/23/milf-urges-aquino-to-appoint-transcom-members/