Joint agreement between PHL-MILF show shared commitment on peace process, says Palace official

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 12): Joint agreement between PHL-MILF show shared commitment on peace process, says Palace official

Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. on Friday said the recent signing of a joint agreement by the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia shows that both parties are committed to achieving lasting peace in Mindanao.

"The joint agreement signed by the Government of the Philippines and the MILF reflects the shared commitment of both parties to the attainment of the Bangsamoro’s aspirations on long-term peace and progress," Coloma said in a statement.

The Palace official noted that the renewal of the mandates of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and the International Monitoring Team until March 31, 2017 “fortifies the peace infrastructure as these bodies have been instrumental in bringing about salutary results in peace-keeping, as well as in sustained campaigns against criminal and terror elements".

He further said that the continuation of other normalization programs on transitional justice and reconciliation, camps transformation and provision of socio-economic packages serve to strengthen confidence on the sustainability of the peace process.

"Finally, both parties will persevere in continuing efforts to create awareness and build consensus so that the next steps -- including the enactment of a basic law and the setting up of a new governance framework -- may be vigorously pursued and fully implemented in the near future," Coloma said.

In their joint statement issued on Thursday, the government and the MILF expressed their disappointment over the non-passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law but reaffirmed their commitment to the peace process and “to preserve the gains of more than 17 years of negotiations and the implementation of the CAB (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro), believing that it continues to provide a viable roadmap and comprehensive approach towards resolving armed conflict in Mindanao”.

According to their statement, both sides agreed that the “means forward is the early passage of this legislation in the next Administration and Congress, which is a requirement for implementation of significant aspects of the CAB including the decommissioning of MILF weapons and combatants”, and towards this end, both parties “shall exert further efforts to promote understanding and greater acceptability of the proposed basic law”.

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