MILF rushes gov’t to ink peace deal

From the Daily Tribune (Jan 6): MILF rushes gov’t to ink peace deal

Demands comprehensive agreement sealed before April

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has issued more requirement to the government in the current peace negotiations demanding that a comprehensive peace agreement be signed within the first quarter to realize the establishment of a Bangsamoro government by 2016.

It has branded 2014 as a crucial year for the peace negotiations with the government and added that the window for the signing of the peace agreement may narrow as the 2016 presidential elections approach.

In an editorial over its official website, the MILF cited the election fever by 2015 will “radically change” the atmosphere of the ongoing peace negotiations.

“2014 is a crucial year as far as the success of the GPH-MILF peace negotiation is concerned. This is the year for the GPH (Government of the Philippines) and MILF to make hard and eventful decisions which are political milestones in their talks that would ensure the establishment of the Bangsamoro Government in 2016,” said the MILF.

“Failure to do so will make the future gloomy,” the MILF warned.

The MILF stressed that both panels should agree on a comprehensive peace agreement within the first months of 2014 to keep the talks on track.

“Within the first quarter of this year, the parties must sign the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) to enable the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) to finish the final draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) for submission to President Benigno Aquino III, who will certify it as urgent bill, in order to give just enough space and time for Congress to pass it into law,” said the MILF.

The signing of the CPA, the MILF said, should not be later than May this year.
“By 2015 the atmosphere will change radically; the fever of the 2016 presidential election will begin to spread its divisive and paralyzing effects. Expect switching of party affiliations and heightened bickering among politicians. Even a non-partisan issue like the Bangsamoro Question and its early resolution will be affected,” the MILF said.

“And third, the BBL should be ratified by the people in the Bangsamoro territory preferably towards the end of this year or early 2015 to make way for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA),” it added.

According to the MILF, formal peace negotiations will resume this month in Malaysia after the parties reached an agreement on the power-sharing annex, which is so far the most difficult of the four annexes.

Still on the pipeline for discussion and settlement are: Bangsamoro Waters, Annex on Normalization, and finally the CPA. The CPA is not just a piece of paper; it contains principles, most likely on the following: how the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is going to be abolished; the conduct of the plebiscite for the ratification of the BBL; and the manner of amending the Constitution, if necessary.

“However, in spite of the still rough road ahead, we are still very hopeful and upbeat that the two parties will finally settle all the remaining issues in the negotiating table. Two sincere, willing, and committed partners, like the Aquino administration and the MILF, will always find ways to overcome any issue that stands on their way. This has been proved by them time and again,” the MILF said.

The MILF had also sought the signing of an addendum on the annex on power sharing in the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) signed last December 8, the Bangsamoro waters will be outlined.

The MILF demand strengthens suspicion that a new substate is being created out of the forming of the so-called new autonomous political entity (NPE) in the FAB.

The MILF said the GPH and MILF panels failed to agree during their most recent meeting in Kuala Lumpur to seal an agreement pertaining to Bangsamoro waters and considered it as an addendum alongside completing the annex on normalization, which will be next on the negotiation agenda.

The MILF expects the agreement on the Bangsamoro sea boundaries to go beyond the current definition of municipal waters, which under the Philippine Fisheries Code are “marine waters 15 kilometers from the coastline, including streams, rivers, public forest, timberland, forest reserve or fishery reserve within the municipality” except those subject to the provisions of the law on protected areas.

The MILF said that its proposed maritime territory involves parts of Yllana Bay, the Moro Gulf and the Sulu Sea.

“In a meeting scheduled this month at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, both panels must hurdle the issue on territorial waters, agree and sign it together with the annex on normalization should there be no hassles or hitches along the way,” the MILF said.

The power sharing annex in itself had raised questions among Constitutional experts since it seeks to create a different a parliamentary system of government within the Bangsamoro substate.

The government panel said the Bangsamoro Transition Commission will use the power sharing annex as a guide in the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

In their joint statement issued after the signing of the annex on power-sharing, the government and MILF panels said “an addendum on the matter of Bangsamoro waters” will be worked out alongside completing the annex on normalization to pave the way for a comprehensive peace agreement (CPA).

The CPA will consist of the FAB plus the four annexes on transitional modalities signed in February last year, wealth sharing signed in July last year, power sharing signed last December 8 and the normalization annex that would discuss disarmament of the rebels.

The MILF insisted on creating a separate boundary for Bangsamoro waters “to provide political connectivity to the future autonomous entity’s territories, which are in mainland Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago.”

MILF peace panel member Maulana Alonto said such political connectivity would be important in developing further the concept of the Moro “nationhood.”

“Delineating Bangsamoro waters and defining jurisdiction over these will definitely have an implication on sharing.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/milf-rushes-gov-t-to-ink-peace-deal