The Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels concluded their May 29-30 special meeting
in the Malaysian capital with the signing of the Declaration of Continuity of
the Partnership of the GPH and MILF in the Bangsamoro Peace Process.
In a joint statement, the peace panels asserted that the
signing of the declaration “seeks to ensure the full implementation of the
Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in the next administration.”
The Parties likewise signed two documents, the "Terms
of Reference for the Establishment of the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund
(BNTF), a multi-donor trust fund envisioned in the Framework Agreement on the
Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Annex on Normalization" as well as the Terms of
Reference for the Project Board of the Mindanao Trust Fund for the Six
Previously Acknowledged MILF Camps (MTF-RDP Camps Project).
The peace panels also congratulated President-elect Rodrigo
Roa Duterte, expressing their "optimism that the roadmap provided for in
the CAB will be fully accomplished" within the term of the new President.
Continuity assured
The incoming Peace Adviser of the President-elect lauded the
affirmation of the GPH and MILF partnership while vowing to continue the
momentum of the Bangsamoro peace process once the new administration takes over
on June 30.
"In my capacity as Presidential Peace Adviser-Nominee
to President-Elect Rodrigo R. Duterte, allow me to welcome with positive note
the forging in Malaysia of the declaration of continuity in the search for
sustainable peace between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front,” Jesus G. Dureza said in a statement which was read during
the special meeting of the GPH and MILF negotiating panels.
“We intend to continue with the gains and build on those
already done and achieved. The roadmap that we will traverse hereon will take
policy guidance and direction from the new President when he assumes office on
June 30, 2016,” the statement continued.
Current GPH chief negotiator Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer
and MILF peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal welcomed Dureza’s statement. “We are
very optimistic of the peace process going on a smooth transition to the next
administration… It’s very clear that the Bangsamoro peace process and the
overall agenda to resolve all armed conflicts that have divided the country
would remain a very important national agenda,” said Ferrer.
Outgoing Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary
Teresita Quintos Deles, also welcomed the statement of her successor who, like
herself, will be holding the position of peace adviser twice. “The gesture is
much appreciated, and in keeping with what incoming Secretary Dureza has said
during our meeting last week,” said Deles, clarifying that she and Dureza have
already met to discuss turnover and transition matters, which included the
Bangsamoro peace process, among others.
Major successes in Bangsamoro peace process under Aquino
admin
The Bangsamoro peace process under the Aquino administration
was jump-started by the meeting of President Aquino and MILF Chairman Al-Haj
Murad Ebrahim in Tokyo , Japan
The CAB served as basis for the drafting of the Bangsamoro
Basic Law (BBL) that will establish a parliamentary regional government with
more political and fiscal autonomy than the current Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM). Aside from the legislative track, the CAB also outlines
socioeconomic and normalization provisions.
Deles said that while there remains unfinished business that
they need to pass on to the incoming Administration, what they will turn over,
however, is a better-positioned peace table that the Aquino government has
worked hard to achieve in the past six years.
“What made the difference that we were able to achieve so
much was President Aquino’s unwavering commitment to the process. It gained the
trust of our partners in this peace table that got us through several stumbling
blocks and challenges. And it is our hope that the same will continue on in the
next Administration,” said Deles.
“How relevant it is to have an incoming chief executive who
we feel that not only understands the fight of the Bangsamoro but more
importantly speaks for it,” said Iqbal in his opening statement on Sunday. “We
welcome the President-elect’s offer of a unifying hand in securing peace and
development in Mindanao . After all, that is
what we need for starters to move forward.”
Seamless Transition
“Sec Jess and I agreed that together with our teams, we will
be working to ensure that there will be a seamless transition,” Deles narrated.
On her part, Ferrer made mention in her opening statement on
Sunday that President Aquino has already formed a transition committee via an
executive order to “coordinate with the lieutenants of the incoming president”
and that “there have been instructions going on at different levels with the
different agencies concerned, including the OPAPP [Office of the Presidential
Adviser on the Peace Process].”
Continuing Implementation of CAB
Dureza also highlighted the importance of the provisions of
the signed agreements with the MILF. “We also take positive note of the
formation of the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund.”
According to the CAB, the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust
Fund is where donor country support, assistance, and pledges may be coursed.
Normalization is the process through which communities affected by the
decades-long armed conflict in Mindanao can
return to a peaceful life and pursue sustainable livelihoods free from fear of
violence and crime. It involves the transition of the MILF's Bangsamoro Islamic
Armed Forces (BIAF) to a peaceful civilian life, which includes putting their
weapons beyond use. It also involves the redress of unresolved legitimate
grievances and the rehabilitation of conflict-affected areas.
In the joint statement of the peace panels, they
"expressed their appreciation to President Benigno S. Aquino III, under
whose guidance and leadership, the peace agreements were signed; to Malaysian
Prime Minister Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak for his continued
support to the Bangsamoro Peace Process, Presidential Adviser on the Peace
Process Teresita Quintos Deles and to the members of the MILF Central Committee
and Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim for their commitment to continue the path to peace."
They likewise thanked the Malaysian facilitator,
International Contact Group, Third Party Monitoring Team, Independent
Decommissioning Body and other members of the Bangsamoro peace mechanisms.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=890314
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