With BBL or no BBL, MILF assures it remains committed to peace

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 26): With BBL or no BBL, MILF assures it remains committed to peace

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Saturday assured the people of Mindanao and the entire Filipino people that it will not resort to violence if the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) does not hurdle Congress or within the term of President Aquino.

"We have foreseen this event, we will remain committed to peace, our people have been tired of war," Mohaqher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, said in a statement after Congress set another deadline for the passage of the draft law.

Instead of Sept. 15, Congress set Dec. 16 as the day when the BBL is passed after series of deliberation.

Iqbal stressed that the MILF is not entertaining, even imagining, returning to the battle fields anew if the draft law is not acted upon.

Certainly, only the commitment of President Aquino keeps the ember of hope still alive," Iqbal said, adding that "so far the MILF has not been informed by anyone in the government peace panel that the BBL is dead."

The MILF chief negotiator said his panel has considered all these scenarios after the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

He added it is better to wait for the next administration than accept a half-baked, diluted version of the BBL.

"We remain optimistic the original version will survive political and democratic processes," he said even as he announced the MILF, with the backing of the Aquino administration and the international community, will continue another struggle, this time it is called "democratic struggle."

Recently, Iqbal told a forum of Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Inter-religious Dialogue, National Ulama Conference of the Philippines, Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, Religions for Peace Philippines and Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation at Ramon Magsaysay Center, Manila, that the MILF remained and will continue to commit itself to the peace process.

The BBL, which was crafted on the basis of the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), was submitted to Congress a year ago.

If approve, it will be the basis for the establishment of a new political entity, replacing the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=808372