GRP, MILF panels to tap foreign experts to observe signing of Bangsamoro pact

From the Daily Tribune (Mar 22): GRP, MILF panels to tap foreign experts to observe signing of Bangsamoro pact

Foreign experts will be invited to sit in an independent body that will oversee the decommissioning of combatants and firearms of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as part of the normalization annex of the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro (FAB).

Government of the Philippines chief negotiator Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, in a statement, said that both the GRP and MILF peace panels are now working on the terms of reference for the different bodies that will be created as part of the normalization process.

Among the bodies being eyed is the Joint Normalization Committee which will oversee the programs for normalization, including the transitional security arrangements that will build on the current cooperation under the ceasefire agreement.

“We are also going to invite local and foreign experts who will sit in the Independent Decommissioning Body that will manage the inventory and verification of the MILF combatants and armory,” Coronel-Ferrer said.

“Moreover, we will form a Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission that would study and propose programs that would address historical grievances and heal the wounds of war,” she added.

According to Coronel-Ferrer, the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) is scheduled on March 27 in Malacañang Palace with no less than President Aquino and MILF chairman Al Haj Murad expected to deliver their messages.

Coronel-Ferrer said that the CAB signing seals the partnership for peace and prosperity between the government and the MILF.

“This partnership is based on our shared aspiration to heal the wounds of conflict, enable meaningful autonomy for the Bangsamoro, and nurture peace and development in Muslim Mindanao,” she said.

The CAB brings together all the major agreements signed by the parties in the course of the 17-year negotiations. Its most important parts are the FAB and the four Annexes.

These documents provide for the road map and the terms pertaining to the creation of the Bangsamoro entity and the transformation of the MILF from an armed group to an active participant in governance and societal reform.

“From the FAB to the CAB, we have come a long way,” she said.

“We dedicate the signing of the CAB to all the people who have helped us reach this stage in the journey. To them we owe this opportunity to bring our people closer together toward shared peace and prosperity under one country standing tall before the global community,” she added.

The CAB serves as basis for the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law being done by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission. The draft law will be submitted to Congress and certified by the President as urgent. A plebiscite will then be held at the areas identified in the agreement after the law is passed.

These areas are the current provinces and cities under the Autonomous Region in Muslin Mindanao (ARMM), the cities of Isabela and Cotabato, six municipalities in Lanao del Norte, and 39 barangays in six municipalities of Cotabato province.

Other geographic areas that are contiguous to the enumerated places and that wish to join the plebiscite may do so through a resolution passed by the local government unit concerned or a petition of at least 10 percent of registered voters in the locality two months before the conduct of the plebiscite.

The Bangsamoro Basic Law will provide for the modalities that would allow them to join the plebiscite.

Colonel-Ferrer and MILF panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal will sign the CAB with Malaysian Third Party Facilitator Tengku Dato’ Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed signing as witness.

The Moro National Liberation Front earlier stressed that the signing of CAB will not stop the MNLF, led by Chairman Nur Misuari, to pursue independence through its own Bangsamoro Republik through peaceful means.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Aquino administration has a particular invitation to the Malaysian Prime Minister Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak to be present on the actual signing event.

“Again, the invitation was for Prime Minister Najib to witness the signing as well but, we are still waiting for a confirmation,” Lacierda said.

He added the crafting of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law is still with the Transition Commission.

“We are hoping that they would be able to finalize everything by March or by April. The Bangsamoro Transition Commission will forward it to the office of the President for further review,” Lacierda said.

He added once the drafted Bangsamoro has been approved by Aquino, they would then submit it to Congress.

“The President will certify it as urgent. Hopefully, during the deliberations will take, and as committed already by, at least, the press statement of Senate President Frank Drilon, hopefully by the end of this year, we will have the Bangsamoro Basic Law enacted,” Lacierda said.

The Palace mouthpiece said that Secretary Ging Deles has already made the rounds with the House and the Senate and briefing them on the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement plus the four annexes.

“We certainly would hope that the House and the Senate realizing how important and how vital this particular peace agreement is to the development in Mindanao would support,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda said if there would be some issues raised, then the executive branch will be there to help their fellow legislators to clarify some of their concerns.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/grp-milf-panels-to-tap-foreign-experts-to-observe-signing-of-bangsamoro-pact