IT has been unusually “very peaceful” in Central Mindanao since the signing of a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Thursday last week, the military said yesterday.
No atrocity by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, which is opposed to the peace negotiations between government and the MILF, has been recorded since the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed in Malacañang, said Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
Hermoso said the BIFF, a breakaway group of the MILF, launched atrocities each time the government and MILF peace panels met in Malaysia for formal negotiations, or when the two sides signed documents during their meetings as part of the peace process.
“It’s very peaceful here, maybe because the security sector is vigilant. There are no significant incidents as of now,” said Hermoso.
The 6th ID based in Maguindanao went on red alert Tuesday as part of measures to pre-empt any incident meant to mar the signing of the CAB.
“We’re used to this group sowing violence every time the peace panels would meet in Malaysia. But they’ve not sowed any violence since the signing,” said Hermoso.
He said the BIFF could have jumped into the bandwagon for peace “but it remains to be seen.”
He added, “Maybe, they are observing what will happen after the signing and capitalize on issues.”
The relatively peaceful situation could be also related to the appeal of the MILF to support peace, said Hermoso.
“Majority of the MILF and their community support the signing of the agreement. If you go against it, you will be unpopular, you will have no moral high ground,” he said.
Hermoso said what they monitored from the BIFF side are “movements” of its fighters, ranging from five to 10 men.
“We have monitored some movement but they did not sow violence. Groups of about five to 10 moved from one place to another…It could be merely administrative movement. There was no intention to sow violence,” he said.
Hermoso placed the strength of the BIFF at about 100 men. At least 50 BIFF fighters were killed and several of their camps were captured when government troops launched law enforcement operations against the group in Maguindanao last January.
“They may have learned their lesson,” said Hermoso, adding however that the BIFF, which he described as a lawless group, “is still capable of “sowing lawlessness in the form of kidnapping, extortion, bombings.”
The CAB incorporates all agreements by the two sides, including annexes on power and wealth-sharing, and the creation of a police force for the autonomous Muslim area.
The next important step is the drafting and passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, President Aquino said during signing ceremonies at the Palace.
The task of drafting the basic law has been given to the Bangsamoro Transition Commission which has given itself until today to complete the draft. Both houses of Congress promised to pass the bill this year to create a new entity and expand the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. A plebiscite later in Muslim-dominated areas in the south will determine the shape and size of the new region.
Senate President Franklin Drilon said there are still many steps to be taken before the Bangsamoro political entity would be in place.
But the Senate would prioritize the passage of the basic law this year so that it could be presented for ratification next year.
“Magkaroon pa ng transition commission bago pa magkaroon ng halalan sa May 2016 – that is when the Bangsamoro political entity will be in place,” he said in an interview with dzBB.
Drilon said the Senate committee on local governments, chaired by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., would conduct public hearing on the draft basic law to be submitted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission to the Office of the President, which it would then submit to Congress as a priority administration measure.
He said he expects to see the copy of the draft before the end of April this year.
Drilon said the Senate panel would immediately conduct public hearings making sure that the proposed legislation would be within the parameters of the Constitution.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said the House would uphold the Constitution in passing the Bangsamoro Basic Law. He said while autonomy is guaranteed for the region, separation remains out of the question.
He also said the House would try to avoid legal questions before the Supreme Court when it tries to approve the measure by the end of the year.
He said sovereignty will not be compromised when Congress deliberates on the proposed law creating the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, which is being crafted by the Transition Commission.
“There will be autonomy for the establishment of the Bangsamoro entity but we will remain as one sovereign nation,” Belmonte said over the weekend.
“All discussions to be made will be guided by the existing laws and consistent to the provisions of the Constitution. The national sovereignty is not an issue here because it will not be violated. The supremacy of the Constitution is always above during the deliberations of the proposed law,” Belmonte added.
Deputy speaker and Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, a lawyer, backed Belmonte, saying the organic law of the new Bangsamoro entity must conform to the 1987 Constitution.”
“That means, the entity would be autonomous under the framework of one sovereign nation,” he said. “Any reference in the proposed organic law to an independent nation for the Bangsamoro entity would be downright unconstitutional. It will not hurdle Congress.”
http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/all-quiet-milf-even-breakaway-biff-has-been-silent-report-military-authorities
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