Gov’t yields to MILF demand for quick deal

From the Daily Tribune (Jan 8): Gov’t yields to MILF demand for quick deal

The government is yielding to the demand of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the rushing of the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) for signing before April.

Press Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that the signing of the last remaining normalization annex on the Framework Agreement Bangsamoro (FAB) is being targeted on Jan. 20, this year.

“We are expecting the (remaining annex) within the month would be completed for the Bangsamoro peace agreement and to continue the peace process that, hopefully, would bring about a transition to the Bangsamoro political entity,” Coloma said.

The MILF has demanded that the CPA be signed within the first quarter of the year to realize the establishment of a Bangsamoro government by 2016, saying that the window for the signing of the peace agreement may narrow as the 2016 presidential elections approach.

In an editorial over its official website, the MILF said the election fever starting next year will “radically change” the atmosphere of the ongoing peace negotiations.

“2014 is a crucial year as far as the success of the GRP-MILF peace negotiation is concerned. This is the year for the GRP and MILF to make hard and eventful decisions, which are political milestones in their talks that would ensure

the establishment of the Bangsamoro Government in 2016,” said the MILF.
“Failure to do so will make the future gloomy,” the MILF warned.

The MILF stressed that both panels should agree on a CPA within the first months of 2014 to keep the talks on track.

Last Dec. 8, the government and MILF peace panels signed the annex on power-sharing to the FAB with the panels agreeing that the unresolved issue on “Bangsamoro waters” be treated as an addendum to the power-sharing annex.

The signing left only one more annex, on normalization, to complete the CPA that would be the basis of the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to pave the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro, which the government describes as a new autonomous political entity that would replace the 23-year old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) but many sees as an independent substate with its own sovereign territory.

In a joint statement last Sunday, the two panels said they are confident they will “finish the annex on normalization and an addendum on the matter of Bangsamoro waters… this month.

”The Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), the body that is drafting the BBL, expects to complete its task by April 2014,” according to the statement.

The annex on power sharing took 16 months to negotiate since the Technical Working Groups first convened in August 2012.

It delineated powers between the Central Government and the Bangsamoro Ministerial Government within the territorial jurisdiction of the “Bangsamoro”, spelled out the central government’s reserved powers, the Bangsamoro’s exclusive powers within its territorial jurisdiction, and concurrent powers shared by the central and Bangsamoro governments and also provides the principles of intergovernmental relations “to ensure the harmonious partnership between and among the different levels of government,” the statement added.

The document is divided into four parts: intergovernmental relations, governance structure of the Bangsamoro Ministerial Government, and Other Matters pertaining to power-sharing such as transportation and communication, mineral and energy sources, taxation, powers already devolved to the ARMM which are relevant to the FAB.
Coloma said there was an informal consultation between the parties before they could have a “face to face actual negotiations”.

Coloma agreed with the call of former peace adviser Jess Dureza for the MILF and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to merge for the smooth implementation of the Bangsamoro Law.

“From the government, we would like to be the government of all Filipinos, our view is inclusive always. Everyone can join the process when their contribution is for the peace. Their participation is welcome,” Coloma said.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/gov-t-yields-to-milf-demand-for-quick-deal