President Benigno S. Aquino III met with members of the
Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO) in Malacañang Palace
“At the end of the meeting that lasted for more than two
hours, (AGFO president) retired Lt. Gen. (Edilberto) Adan thanked the President
and reiterated that, despite the reservations they expressed on provisions of
the draft BBL, they fully support the government’s initiative to build enduring
peace in Mindanao,” Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said during a
media briefing at the Palace on Tuesday.
Last Sept. 14, the AGFO published a full-page statement in a
major daily on their position regarding the draft BBL.
The AGFO delegation was led by Adan, who previously served
as Philippine Army commanding general and as Department of Foreign Affairs
undersecretary for the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), as well as former
defense secretary Renato de Villa.
“The President thanked them for accepting his invitation to
the meeting and asked them to air their concerns. He said that the baseline
from which the peace negotiations started were the provisions of RA (Republic
Act) 9054 or the Act to Strengthen and Expand the Organic Act for the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),” Coloma said.
He noted that the most of the questions revolved around the
implementation of the decommissioning and normalization process, which was
clarified by Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles.
According to Coloma, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad also
explained that the budget allocation for the proposed Bangsamoro region was
based on historical need, as reflected in the existing budget of the ARMM.
Asked if the generals accepted the explanations, Coloma
said, “Ang mahalaga dito ay nagkaroon ng malayang talakayan. Naihayag nila
'yung batayan ng kanilang posisyon, iyong kanilang mga concerns. Naipaliwanag
din ng Pangulo kung saan nanggagaling ang posisyon ng gobyerno.”
“At dahil nagkaroon ng malayang palitan ng pananaw, sa aking
palagay ay mas nagkaroon na ngayon ng pagkakaunawaan sa magkabilang panig
hinggil sa kanilang posisyon at mahalaga ang tinukoy ni General Adan doon sa
pagtatapos ng pagpupulong na bagamat meron silang mga agam-agam o reserbasyon,
sa kabuuan ay lubos silang sumusuporta sa pagsusulong ng prosesong
pangkapayapaan sa Mindanao,” he added.
Also present during the meeting were National Defense
Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, National Security
Adviser Cesar Garcia, and Armed Forces of the Philippines
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=807018
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