After more than 3 decades of armed struggle in Mindanao – and after 17 years of negotiations between the government and rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) – both parties have arrived at what they hope to be their final meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
Their respective peace panels will hold talks for at least 10 days in a bid to arrive at a deal on how power will be shared between the proposed Bangsamoro political entity and the central government, as well as how MILF troops will undergo the normalization process.
There's an air of optimism from both sides since the parties have already signed the contentious wealth-sharing annex, which gave the Bangsamoro 75% of revenues from taxes and metallic minerals.
"I think we're confident because we've gone through difficulties in the past but we were able to overcome it," government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer told Rappler, Friday, September 6. "I think after we finished the wealth-sharing annex, after a very difficult round of negotiations, where we had an extended process after a lot of delays were incurred, both of us feel more confident that we can hurdle the obstacles."
MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal hopes their next meeting at the Palace of the Golden Horses in Kuala Lumpur would be the final one.
"It depends, It can be the last or there would be more rounds. But I hope this would be the last," Iqbal earlier said in a text message.
The signing of the comprehensive agreement with the MILF will allow the Bangsamoro peace process to move forward, with a number of mechanisms for the transition already in place.
The Third Party Monitoring, which is tasked to review, asses and monitor the implementation of the final peace agreement, has already been convened.
Meanwhile, the Transition Commission – the body tasked to craft the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which will provide the legal framework for the proposed entity – is ready to start work.
In order to beat their deadline to complete the transition process from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the future Bangsamoro government, the Basic Law must be completed and passed by Congress by 2014.
Last two annexes
What are the remaining issues?
On the power-sharing annex, Ferrer said they are working at "cleaning up the text and tightening the language."
The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed in October 2012 identified some of the "reserved powers" for the central government. What the annex on power-sharing will identify are mostly the "concurrent powers" or shared powers between the Bangsamoro region and central government and what would be the "exclusive powers" of the Bangsamoro.
One of the remaining issues has to do with jurisdiction over transportation and communication, given the fact that these are also bound by international law.
Meanwhile, the process of normalization will provide for specially-designed economic programs for the proposed entity in parallel with the decommissioning of MILF troops and the disbandment of private armed groups.
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