Crafting crucial FAB annexes to be completed next month — GPH-MILF peace panel chair

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 1): Crafting crucial FAB annexes to be completed next month — GPH-MILF peace panel chair

Philippine government-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (GPH-MILF) Peace Panel chairperson Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the crafting of the four crucial annexes to the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro (FAB) will be completed next month.

Speaking at a press conference Friday in time for the 1st Mindanao Development Forum (MDF) at The Marco Polo Davao, Ferrer said the annexes which are being crafted cover power sharing, wealth sharing, normalization and the transition roadmap.

She elaborated that in power sharing, issues like the share of the Bangsamoro on the mineral resources and the taxes to be devolved are currently being tackled by the panels. “But a large part of the text is already final,” she pointed out. She said there are only about seven issues left that are being crafted in the annexes.

President Aquino created the Transition Commission of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro in December last year. The transition commission is tasked to draft a basic law that would serve as the charter of the Bangsamoro. The issue of who will lead the transition phase has become crucial also as the MILF insisted that they should be the “driver” of the transition phase.

On the other hand, Secretary Teresita Deles of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) at the same press conference said the GPH has already shortlisted 15 personalities for the transition team. The list was already submitted to President Benigno Aquino III in which he will choose about seven to be included in the transition team. Deles, however, declined to name those included in the shortlist in order to not preempt the decision of the President.

The MILF side however has yet to come up with their recommendations as to who would sit in the transition team, Deles said. She said they are looking at mid-February to come up with the final members of the transition team.

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