MILF insists on BBL despite Duterte gov’t federalism offer

From the Daily Tribune (May 21): MILF insists on BBL despite Duterte gov’t federalism offer

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has stressed the peace process with the government of the Philippines should start, upon the assumption of presumptive President Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, where it stopped under the outgoing Aquino administration — which is the passing of a law for the establishment of Bangsamoro government.

But the MILF’s call for the passage of BBL may be overridden by Duterte’s plans to grant regions autonomy through federalism.

The MILF, in an editorial posted over its Website, however, said the administration of Duterte should immediately work for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) where the Aquino government left off.

It stressed that the negotiation is completed following the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the MILF and GRP peace panels.

“Strictly speaking, at present, negotiation; peace process, yes, the parties are still engaged. But the issues deliberated on are subsidiary matters like serious ceasefire violations, socio-economic interventions, transitional justice, etc.,” the MILF said.

“Currently, the parties are in implementation stage, mainly the passage of the BBL in Congress, which is a government responsibility,” it added.

Thus, the MILF said the new administration under Duterte, upon assuming office on June 30, shall start where the Aquino administration left off – to work for the early passage of BBL in Congress.

At the same time, the MILF batted to retain “familiar faces” in the Duterte peace team.
The Aquino administration’s GRP peace panel, which inked both the FAB and CAB with its MILF counterpart, was headed by Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, with Secretary Teresita Deles as chief of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

“We hope sincerely that the peace team of the new administration would include men and women whose track record, integrity, and commitment are beyond reproach, because an honest-to-goodness negotiation and a problem- solving exercise would require negotiators on both sides to have high regard and trust with each other,” the MILF said.

In March 2014, the MILF signed a peace deal with the government that brought to a close 17 years of negotiations and ended a decades-old armed conflict in the country’s south.

But the BBL — which would have sealed the deal but critics claimed was unconstitutional — was stalled earlier this year as Congress adjourned for campaigning for the May 9 election.

“If the negotiation between the MILF and GPH had achieved sterling successes during the Aquino administration, it is because the Parties have developed high regards and respect with each other. How we wish that the names we know will find space in the new peace team of the new administration!” it added.

Duterte has already mentioned that he wants Jesus Dureza, who previously served as peace negotiator for the government under the Arroyo administration, to talk peace with the Muslim groups – the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front.
No to BBL

Meanwhile, Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, Duterte’s ally in the lower chamber, said the country’s push for federalism has almost the same concept of the BBL.

“The BBL will be absorbed by the federal form of government, because that’s the same. The concept of BBL is the same in federal form of government,” he said.
Alvarez stressed Muslim insurgents, especially the MILF, “were taken for a ride” by the Aquino administration on the issue of BBL.

“How can you implement the provisions of the BBL without amending the Constitution? You cannot do it because there are provisions in the BBL that run contrary to the provisions of the Constitution,” said Alvarez.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/milf-insists-on-bbl-despite-duterte-gov-t-federalism-offer