Under the Duterte administration, I expect more success stories: Iqbal

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Aug 16): Under the Duterte administration, I expect more success stories: Iqbal



In his opening statement during the Official Launching Ceremony of the GPH, MILF Implementing Peace Panels at the Palace of Golden Horses in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 13-14, 2016, Mohagher Iqbal, Chair of the MILF Implementing Team, acknowledged the success in the peace process under former President Benigno C. Aquino III, but he “expect more success stories under the Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s Administration”.

Expressing his optimism on the success of the peace process under President Duterte, Iqbal said he has the gut feeling that the final closure of the Bangsamoro Problem or Question is in the offing. He enumerated them as follows:

First, as stated, the members of the GPH Implementing Peace Panel are mostly if not all are from Mindanao, and we are confident that they are personally committed and interested to settle this conflict without delay.

Second, Secretary Jesus Dureza, aside from being a veteran negotiator, is also from Mindanao. He has been a personal friend of long standing; in fact, during the early part of the negotiation in 1997-1998, he voluntarily offered to help the MILF on legal matters.

Third, President Duterte also hails from the same region, in fact, he has a Moro blood running in his veins. More importantly, he is not anti-Moro, and according to one of his closest friends, whom we talked to, when he commits something he fulfils it.

And fourth, his policy towards the problem and the BBL is unequivocally clear and straight from the heart, and I quote: “I would like to tell you and I’m telling now to the Republic of the Philippines, nothing will appease the Muslim, the Moro people if you do not give them the BBL".
Iqbal also mentioned the importance of trust and confidence in peace making for the fast pace and success of such an endeavor.

In his opening statement, Iqbal also said, “This launching today will formally kick-off the next phase of the peace journey from where the two Parties had left off. This specifically refers to the two-track implementation of the agreement of the Parties contained in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

The first track is the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which is a unilateral responsibility of the GPH. The participation of the MILF in this internal legal process of the government is indirectly through the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) and the occasional informal meeting between the Parties’ Principals.

The second track is a bilateral implementation of all the aspects of the normalization process by both the GPH and MILF and with the participation of the international community, which journeyed with us through thick and thin over a period of many years. The stint of Malaysia, as third party facilitator, started in 2001 upon the official invitation of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who travelled to this bustling City of Kuala Lumpur on the same year to convey the message of invitation. Secretary Dureza played a prominent role in this endeavour. By any yardstick, Malaysia has delivered and surely its facilitation is considered exceedingly above par. Other international players, who brought with them their expertises, experiences, and resources, joined the process also upon the official invitation of the Parties”.

“As a process, negotiation still continues to be pursued by the Parties. Negotiation is an indispensable part of man's everyday life, because it is a method to settle differences. Without this process, man's life including those of families would be in shamble”, said Iqbal.

“That is still in every way negotiation. After all, the peace panels, the Malaysian facilitator, as well as most of the mechanisms of the peace process continue to exist until the Parties sign the "Exit Agreement" when all the agreements of Parties are implemented by them”, Iqbal also said.

He pointed out that, “The BBL, therefore, must first be CAB-compliant; meaning, it captures the letter and spirit of this agreement. But this does not mean we cannot improve or enhance the proposed law. We can revisit other agreements especially the GRP-MNLF Final Agreement of 1996 and any provision thereof that can enrich or strengthen the BBL or are not implemented can be adopted”.

“And second, the proposed law should embody the legitimate interests and aspirations of the Bangsamoro people and all other residents of the proposed political entity. This inclusivity should gear more on equal opportunity and protection of the law and secondarily on representations of people or groups”.

Iqbal assured all and sundry of the firm commitment of the MILF to pursue peace with the GPH and to overcome with determination all challenges ahead of us, so that  the progress, development, and justice that are long denied to our people shall be realized soon. Certainly, it is only through a regime of peace with justice that we can ensure the peace, stability and progress of this country. It is not progress or development but repression,  oppression, and exploitation that force people, wrongly or otherwise, to resort to unwanted measures.  We see them in today's real world. They are almost everywhere.

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