MILF glad, but airs fears BBL may be diluted

From the Manila Bulletin (Sep 13): MILF glad, but airs fears BBL may be diluted

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is glad that the contentious Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has already been submitted to Congress but the group expressed fears that the substance of the measure might be diluted once Congress introduce amendments to it.

In a radio interview, Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF vice chairman for Political Affairs said their second concern is the delay in the passage of the BBL thereby missing the roadmap for the proposed Bangsamoro government.

But he clarified that he was not giving Congress a timeframe within which to pass the BBL.

He said the roadmap includes the congressional act, plebiscite and ratification, the transition period, establishment of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) composed of MILF leaders, organizing the Bangsamoro political entity (BPE) structure, and preparing the election for the regular BPE in 2016.

The two sides have agreed to enforce the transition from the ARMM to the BPE  within a year.

Jaafar is confident.  “Our legislators are responsible leaders.  We know that they understand how big is the problem in Mindanao. We know they all want Mindanao to achieve peace, and the solution is the BBL.”

LISTEN, NOT TAKE SIDES

At the Senate, Sen. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., chair of the Senate Local Government Committee asked members of the government and MILF peace panels for a briefing to enlighten him and other senators on the issues concerning the BBL prior to the conduct of a public hearing which they scheduled on Sept. 23.

Marcos, son of the late Philippine and Senate President Ferdinand E. Marcos has invited as resource persons Miriam Coronel Ferrer, chief government peace negotiator ; Mohaguer Iqbal, chairman, Bangsamoro Transition Commission ; Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process ; Jaafar ; lawyer Mike Mastura, chairman, Advocacy Committee of MILF Negotiating Panel ; and Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen who headed the peace panel in its initial negotiations before he was appointed to the High Court.

“We will study this proposal very carefully. We will not rush its submission to Congress. More important for us is the participation of stakeholders in Mindanao.  We want to hear them speak. We will listen,’’ he added.

Marcos said he plans to undertake consultative meetings with all sectors in major cities and towns in Mindanao.

These meetings would be held not just in Manila but more so in other cities in Mindanao, such as Marawi, Zamboanga, General Santos, Basilan and Sulu.

“What is important is for everybody to be heard whether for or against. While all of us Filipinos are for peace, it is our duty in the Senate to come up with a law fulfilling that advocacy. We are to listen to all sides, not to take sides,” Marcos assured.

DECOMMISSIONING OF TROOPS, ARMS

What is not included in the BBL, according to Coronel-Ferrer is the decommissioning of the MILF forces and weapons.  What is included in the BBL is the creation of a police force for the future Bangsamoro region because that needs to be legislated.

She said in a statement that the decommissioning does not have to be included in the  BBL which  President Aquino submitted to leaders of Congress Wednesday at Malacañang Palace as this would be implemented as Congress deliberates on the measure.

“The decommissioning of the MILF is part of the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB),” Coronel-Ferrer explained.

“The MILF signed this document and so they are obligated to see this through with the help of the government and the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) that we will set up very soon,” she said.

Ferrer said the IDB – which will be composed of three foreign experts and four Filipinos – will validate the inventory of weapons and combatants that the MILF will submit and institute the needed procedures for turning in the weapons.

Norway, Turkey and Brunei have been invited by the government and MILF panels to nominate the foreign experts who would sit in the IDB.

NO SPECIAL LAW TO DECOMMISSION

“The process would be gradual and phased, and commensurate with the developments in the legislative process of passing the BBL,” said the chief government negotiator.

Ferrer said the full decommissioning of the weapons and combatants of the MILF will happen after the creation of the Bangsamoro and the creation of a police force in the region.

“High-powered and crew-served weapons will be turned in to the IDB. However, members of the MILF may legalize the small arms in their possession through a registration process that conforms with the national firearms law. There is no need for a special law for the decommissioning,” Ferrer explained.

Deles, however, has another explanation on the decommissioning of MILF forces and arms.

Deles said “the normalization process doesn’t have to be in the law, except for the setting up of the police force for the Bangsamoro. The normalization process is an executive action that doesn’t need new legislation” Deles said.

The normalization process – composed of three main components: security, socioeconomic development, and transitional justice and reconciliation – aims to turn conflict-areas  in Mindanao to peaceful communities where people could pursue sustainable livelihoods free from fear of violence and crime.

The security aspect of normalization includes policing, gradual decommissioning of MILF forces and weapons, redeployment of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from or within the conflict-affected areas, and the disbanding of private armed groups.

According to the proposed BBL, the Bangsamoro police “shall be organized, maintained, supervised and utilized for the primary purpose of law enforcement and maintenance of peace and order in the Bangsamoro. It shall be part of the Philippine National Police.

NORMALIZATION MECHANISMS

To implement the Normalization Annex, the GPH and the MILF created committees assigned to undertake specific roles.

Aside from the IDB, there are three other bodies.  The Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) will coordinate the different normalization processes and mechanisms.

The Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC), according to OPAPP, will create and administer the joint peace and security teams that will be fielded in different communities to help keep the peace in the area.

The Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) will undertake a study and recommend to the panels the appropriate mechanisms for transitional justice and reconciliation.

Ferrer said the CAB  is an agreement which provides “clear mechanisms and benchmarks that will allow the MILF to transform itself with dignity from being an armed group into an unarmed political, social and economic actor in their communities.”

The BBL is the legal translation of the CAB signed between the GPH and MILF on March 27, 2014 concluding 17 years of peace negotiations and bringing the parties towards implementation.

“The CAB and the BBL aim to establish genuine autonomy in the south that respects the diversity of the people in the area, the basic rights of all, and ensure collective security and prosperity,” Ferrer explained.

http://www.mb.com.ph/milf-glad-but-airs-fears-bbl-may-be-diluted/