President Benigno Aquino III and MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim before the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in March (file photo)
President Benigno Aquino III and Moro Islamic Liberation Front chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim held a surprise meeting in Japan to address growing concerns over delays in implementing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, their aides said Thursday.
The meeting took place Tuesday on the sidelines of a peace conference in Hiroshima where Aquino and Murad were guests, Malacanang spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
A rebel spokesman said the MILF sought the meeting to raise concerns over delays in implementing the CAB, which was signed in March, after the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law that is crucial for a final peace was not passed by Congress this month as planned.
Lacierda divulged few details of the meeting, other than it was a 15-minute encounter and that they talked about the BBL, which would the Bangsamoro autonomous region.
"It is safe to assume that the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law was discussed," Lacierda said.
Muslim rebels had been battling for independence or autonomy in the southern Philippines since the 1970s, with the conflict claiming tens of thousands of lives.
The MILF, with 10,000 armed followers, is the biggest rebel group and its signing of the CAB raised hopes of an enduring peace in the south, despite other breakaway groups still vowing to fight.
The pact made the MILF and the government partners in a plan to create the Bangsamoro by mid-2016, when Aquino is required by the Constitution to stand down.
The Bangsmoro transition commission, composed of rebel and government nominees, drafted the BBL, which was submitted to Aquino in April as part of a timeframe to have Congress pass it by June.
Aquino, however, is still reviewing the planned law.
His aides have said this is because he wants to ensure it withstands scrutiny of the legislative body.
MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar told AFP Thursday Murad had sought the meeting to "express our concerns over the delays" and had been partly appeased by Aquino's response.
"We accepted explanations given, but any further delays could impact on the full ratification of the deal," Jaafar said, while emphasizing that MILF fighters remained "deeply concerned" about the slowdown.
He said Aquino must marshal his allies in Congress to pass the law this year.
Aquino, in his Tuesday speech before meeting Murad, highlighted a similar encounter between the two in Japan in 2011 that built momentum in the peace process.
"Trust was established between brothers, and a genuine dialogue was possible," Aquino said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/89951/aquino-murad-hold-surprise-talks-in-japan-on-delays-in-implementing-peace-pact
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