Both the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vowed to pursue the path of peace and continue the fight for the passage of the stalled Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) during the commemoration of the second anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
(OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles said much has been attained in the
Bangsamoro peace process amid the setbacks posed by the non-passage of the
proposed measure.
“Our faith is not misplaced: the peace process, while badly
hit, remains intact; while battered, it has emerged, I daresay, even stronger,”
Deles said during the CAB anniversary celebration held at the Notre Dame University
“We have attained much despite the setbacks and difficulties
we have faced. Perhaps, most important of these achievements is the fact that
we have managed to foster a felt measure of peace on the ground even as the
peace process is still moving towards its conclusion,” she added.
For his part, MILF Chair Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim said in a
statement that it would be a big mistake to discontinue the momentum of the
Bangsamoro peace process, particularly noting that the indelible CAB is still
intact.
“Turning our backs on the peace process would be a mistake.
After all, we have the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro intact...
which is over and above the Bangsamoro Basic Law. This silver lining among the
dark clouds is the legitimacy of the CAB and its binding effect to the GPH and
the MILF that forged the mutually acceptable agreement two years ago,” said
Murad.
The statement likewise said, “It will take patience,
steadfastness and leadership on both sides to reach the ultimate goal of
achieving just and lasting peace. And even if the roadmap was not met, the
signed CAB would at least ensure that commitments are kept and compliance is
demandable."
The event was attended by around 500 guests comprised of
local and international peace actors and stakeholders, including the MILF
combatants who were decommissioned in June last year. Each of the ceasefire
and peace mechanism bodies established under the Bangsamoro peace process
umbrella were represented as well.
Both GPH chief negotiator Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer
and MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal were present at the event to honor and
recognize those who have been instrumental to the success of the process.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=871614
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