The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro does not abrogate
the 1996 peace treaty with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF),
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said on Monday.
She noted that the peace pact with the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) “wishes to take all the best features of the 1996 Final Peace
Agreement, as well as RA 9054 onward into the Bangsamoro Basic Law.”
”To date, we know that there have been statements coming
from some MNLF leaders saying that they would like the tripartite process to be
completed, and that, yes, they are requesting the OIC [Organization of Islamic
Conference] to help—to push that solidarity mechanism that have, in fact,
already been started before,” Deles said.
”We fully support that. We have been speaking with the OIC,
particularly the PCSP [Peace Committee for Southern
Philippines ], with regard to this matter,” she added.
According to Deles, they are getting signals that some MNLF leaders support the government peace initiatives with the MILF.
“There are requests for meetings with some MNLF leaders in
the coming period. We hope that that will come up with some clear suggestions
about how the continued engagement of the MNLF can happen also in this
process,” she told reporters.
Deles reiterated that “the door still remains open” for the
MNLF, saying that the government’s representatives have agreed to set up all
sorts of mechanisms, including special consultative mechanisms with the MNLF.
“The call continues to be that this should not be a
matter—that more than a matter of attribution of who got what, the important
thing is to think about what will be best for the Bangsamoro,” she said.
Local and international stakeholders have voiced out high
hopes for the consummation of a peace agreement between the government and the
Muslim insurgents, but a lawmaker called for closer scrutiny of its provisions
to avoid conflict with the Constitution.
Malacañang also on Monday thanked members of the international
community for their support to the peace process with the MILF.
Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the United States , the United
Kingdom , Japan ,
Switzerland and
international bodies such as the European Union and the United Nations, praised
the Philippines
“This milestone gives the entire nation confidence that the
next steps in the peace process are on track,” Lacierda said.
But Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the House
committee on defense, urged the government to further study the peace agreement
with the MILF.
Biazon said the conditions in the Bangsamoro framework
agreement should be examined carefully to ensure that these do not violate
provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
He said there can be “traps” in the annexes, or the demands
of the MILF that require constitutional amendments, or the enactment, repeal,
amendment of a law.
One of the contentious provisions Biazon cited is the
creation of a new police force within the new Bangsamoro territory.
“The Constitution is very clear: there shall only be one
Philippine National Police, civilian in character and national in scope. I am
not saying that it is hard for us—we need to examine all the scope of the
annexes and find out and begin to study which of the provisions of these four
annexes will require deeper examination so that we will know where the traps
might be,” he said.
Senate minority leader Juan Ponce Enrile also stressed the
need to carefully study the framework agreement because it involves serious
security and political issues that may run in conflict with the Constitution.
“We cannot just make a judgment on that until we have seen
and read the whole text of the agreement,” Enrile said, noting that the
agreement involves issues on territory and the subdivision of the country.
“Some are talking about cessation, independence, division of
the country. And there’s a foreign content here, like the involvement of
international players, dealing with the Organization of Islamic Conference,
you’re dealing with Malaysia, you’re dealing with the Muslim world,” he said.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers are in favor of granting amnesty
to members of the MILF who have pending cases or have been convicted of
rebellion and other rebellion-related charges.
“It [amnesty] is a necessary provision under any peace
agreement. We trust the normalization annex is consistent with international
policies and practices,” Party-list Reps. Sitti Hataman of Anak Mindanao, the
wife of Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said.
“We still have to review the normalization annex, but the
deactivation and disarmament of forces will go through a process agreeable
between the two parties.
We have to understand the cultural perspective on the issue
of arms,” Hataman added.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
also lauded the signing of the final annex.
“Any step towards peace is a positive step,”
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said.
Villegas said the Catholic Church is willing to extend its
help to any of the two parties negotiating for the final peace deal.
Malacañang, however, admitted that more work needs to be
done before peace can be achieved in the South.
“The work does not end here. In particular, we look forward
to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. The Bangsamoro
Transition Commission is also working on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which our
legislators will enact, moving forward,” Lacierda said.
http://manilatimes.net/govt-keeps-mnlf-deals-best-features/71244/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.