Dureza eyes end-August deadline for recomposition of GPH members in Bangsamoro commission

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 16): Dureza eyes end-August deadline for recomposition of GPH members in Bangsamoro commission

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said he is optimistic that the government would be able to compose its 10-man team for the expanded Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) by end of August.

"By the end of the month, we'll compose the BTC on our side," he told reporters in a briefing Tuesday afternoon at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after his arrival from the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last Saturday.

It was agreed during the meeting over the weekend that members of the BTC would be increased from 15 to 21, 11 of whom would come from the MILF and 10 from the government of the Phlippines (GPH). Previously, the GPH had seven slots in the BTC while the MILF had eight.

Dureza said he does not know when the MILF would determine the composition of its BTC members because this has to be decided after consultations.

He however expressed optimism that this would be soon so that both parties could immediately start working on the reformulation of an enabling law that would be used in lieu of the failed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

He said he is positive on the pace of the current peace talks with the MILF, citing that lots have been achieved because negotiations started even before the Duterte administration took office last June 30.

He said lawmakers are also supportive of the current process but declined to give a timeline on when the new enabling law would be approved, pointing out that issues need to be threshed out first between the parties.

"That depends really on the kind of enabling law that will be presented to them. That's why we'd like to really do a lot of due diligence before we submit, for the BTC to submit the new version (of the enabling law to Congress)," he said.

Dureza said he agrees with the suggestion of MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad that a Supreme Court (SC) ruling on the petition questioning the constitutionality of the signing in March 2014 of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) be released before the BTC starts reformulating another proposed enabling law to determine where to start.

"We cannot support the old BBL... We are now working on a new enabling law but much of that will come from the failed BBL," he said.

Dureza said the government also wants the eventual establishment of an All-Bangsamoro Assembly.

"But may I tell you that government will only be supportive on all of these if the Bangsamoro people themselves will come together and resolve this exclusivity," he said.

After last weekend's meeting, which paved the way for the implementation phase of the peace process, all succeeding meetings will be held in the Philippines, next of which is on Aug. 30 in Davao City.

Dureza said Malaysia is still welcome to help in any way in the implementation phase, especialy since the Malaysian government recognizes President Rodrigo R. Duterte's bid to achieve peace in Mindanao.

He emphasized that addressing any conflict cannot be done by force alone.

"You need to win the hearts and minds of the environment that feeds into that kind of mentality, of extremism," he added.

Meanwhile, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Martin Andanar, during the same briefing, said President Duterte is scheduled to visit Malaysia between Aug. 23 and 30 but clarified that nothing is final yet.

Other countries suggested to be visited by the President before going to Laos for the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sept. 6-8 are Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore.

Andanar also said the government will continue to improve state media facilities as part of the bid to ensure peace in Mindanao, noting that people in the southern Philippines feel left out and one solution to address this is to improve state media facilities that would be used to inform people about government programs.

He said an emergency transmitter was already sent to Tawi-Tawi to be used by the Radyo ng Bayan while another set will be sent to a military camp in Sulu for the state television station, PTV4.

"We're prioritizing areas that we have problems in terms of security... The solution to the problems in those areas would be comprehensive," he said.

Andanar said the government will spend millions for this year alone to improve state media equipment but said more will be allocated under the proposed 2017 national budget.

He also disclosed that Malaysia's state media Bernama offered to extend a one-week training for state media personnel to improve delivery of news services.

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