GPH-MILF peace panels commit to stay on the course of peace

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 11): GPH-MILF peace panels commit to stay on the course of peace

The Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels have reaffirmed their commitment to the peace process albeit the non-passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

In a joint statement issued on Thursday after a two-day special meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, both GPH and MILF remained steadfast in implementing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), preserving the gains of more than 17 years of negotiations, and sustaining the existing peace infrastructure.

“This infrastructure is fundamental in keeping the peace on the ground and supporting the implementation of the CAB. It is important that it remains functional for the next administration to carry forward the implementation of the agreements,” the statement read.

Both parties asserted to “promote understanding and greater acceptability of the proposed basic law” in order to ensure the early passage of the legislation in the next administration and Congress.

The non-passage of the BBL has adversely affected the timeline of establishing the Bangsamoro identity and has delayed the implementation of significant aspects of the CAB, such as the decommissioning of MILF weapons and combatants.

The parties agreed to renew the mandate of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group until March 31, 2017 as part of ensuring the long-standing ceasefire between the government and the MILF.

Further, the International Monitoring Team also renewed its mandate until March 2017 to monitor the implementation of cessation of hostilities between the GPH and MILF forces.

“This mechanism has proven time and again its importance in isolating and interdicting criminal syndicates/kidnap-for-ransom groups and terrorist groups in Mindanao,” it read.

According to both parties, other aspects of the normalization process will still push through such as the transitional justice and reconciliation, camps transformation, and provision of socio-economic packages.

In fact, the parties signed the Terms of Reference for the Joint Task Forces on camp transformation and also agreed to the creation of a working group to recommend the peace panels a set of interventions for vulnerable sectors—including widows, orphans, people with disabilities, detainees, and their families.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=856192