Impatience grows for MILF over delayed BBL passage

From the Daily Tribune (Jun 29): Impatience grows for MILF over delayed BBL passage

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the rebel group which President Aquino is negotiating a peace deal with in exchange for the setting up of the Bangsamoro substate is growing impatient over the delay in the Palace transmittal of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which would be the basis for the creation of the autonomous region, to Congress for its approval.

The MILF in its website luwaran.com warned the delay could create a domino effect that may put in jeopardy the entire peace agreement.

“The systemic design of the GRP(Government of the Philippines)-MILF peace negotiation, especially after the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is such that when it moves, every organ also moves. If it does not, then other organs are directly affected,” the MILF said in its website.

During his one-day visit to Japan last week, Aquino met with MILF chairman Al Haj Murad supposedly to assure the MILF of his administration’s commitment to have the Bangsamoro substate in place before his term ends.

Aquino assured Murad the draft of the BBL will be submitted to Congress before his State of the Nation Address (Sona) in July 28 to ensure its passage within the year.

President Aquino said he and Murad also discussed ways to come up with the proposed law that would ensure swift passage in Congress during their meeting in Japan.

The MILF said that its questioning of the delay in the transmittal of the document does not mean that it casts doubt “on the sincerity of Aquino to deliver.”

“Actually, this open declaration of trust is causing the MILF harsh bashing from many quarters. They say that the issue of the Bangsamoro people cannot be rested on one man alone. Yes, that is true, but the truth is that since the MILF had entered into peace talks with the Aquino Administration, the President has not failed the MILF,” it said.

The MILF said that the delay in the processing of BBL may affect the road map indicated in the Annex on Transitional Arrangement and Modalities of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) which would be the basis of the Exit Agreement “after the parties have faithfully complied” with all their commitments.”

It said the GRP-MILF peace negotiation was designed to succeed and makes whichever side not complying or violating any part of the agreement the subject of criticisms.

It expressed worries over several other collateral issues that would have to come after the approval of the BBL such as the forming of the Joint Normalization Committee (JNC), Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPST), Joint Peace and Security Teams (JPST), Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) which it said “compliance is the only option of the parties.”

The MILF said the BBL being stranded at the Office of the President (OP) “cannot be attributed to any unreasonable reason, but it is much desired that all of us must be conscious of time.”

“Time, once it lapses, will not come back anymore. More seriously, the road ahead is not paved, it is still capable of posing many surprises,” it added.
Aquino said the meeting with Murad in Japan did not result in any disagreement on the guiding principles.

“Now, we’re putting in all of the details and I asked him (Murad) if it would be possible to meet sometime next week either their panels or we in particular or our designated representatives to thresh it out and come up with that proposed measure and give it to Congress even before the Sona (State of the Nation Address),” Aquino said.

“There is an agreement on how you actually work. There’s a need to further refine the language so that it really states a meeting of the minds of both parties,” he said.

Aquino added the government aims to hasten the process of coming up with the draft BBL that both parties can fully support and endorse.

He assured the Filipino people that all efforts are being exerted to ensure that the proposed law is passed in timely manner.

“...Because the dream still is to give the new Bangsamoro government time to demonstrate its abilities and the time that they need as a minimum is a year and six months. So, we’re hoping that all the steps will be done that they can sit already in office by January of 2015,” Aquino said.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/impatience-grows-for-milf-over-delayed-bbl-passage