More work still needed for Bangsamoro

From the Manila Bulletin (Mar 2): More work still needed for Bangsamoro

Although major developments have already been made for the peace agreement process between the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Third-Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) head Alistair MacDonald said that more work are still needed.

In its first Public Report, MacDonald said both parties have showed strong commitment to peace and willingness to resolve the conflict that has thwarted economic development in Mindanao for four decades.

“The Government and MILF Panels have made gigantic progress in completing all four Annexes to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB). Much remains to be done, but as we look forward to the signature of the comprehensive peace agreement, the drafting and adoption of the Basic Law, and the full implementation of the agreements reached, we can clearly see the construction of a lasting peace,” he said in a statement posted on the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process’ (OPAPP) website.

TPMT, an independent monitoring group formed in 2013 as part of the peace process, noted in its report that both panels recognized the need to expedite the drafting of the Basic Law to allow Congress to commence its deliberations in a “timely manner”.

“Building a peace which will bring an end to cycles of violence and displacement, and which will allow the tremendous economic, social and cultural potential of Mindanao to come to the fore will be the key inheritance which the two Parties can leave to future generations,” MacDonald added.

The monitoring group, composed of five members, also said that a number of stakeholders have underlined the need for people to deeply understand the FAB and its implications and expressed concern about the inclusiveness of the process.

The two groups have already completed the signature of the Annexes on Transitional Modalities, on Wealth Generation, on Power Sharing, and on Normalisation, which included the addendum on Bangsamoro Waters.

It also noted the launching of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission in April 2013 and Independent Commission on Policing in 2013 to prepare proposals for a new police service for the Bangsamoro, the name which will replace the Autonomous in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The Philippine government and the MILF is expected to sign the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro by the end of March, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in news reports.

http://www.mb.com.ph/more-work-still-needed-for-bangsamoro/