PH gov't, MILF to expand Bangsamoro Transition Council

From the Rappler (Aug 14): PH gov't, MILF to expand Bangsamoro Transition Council

The expanded BTC, which is tasked to draft a new Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), will now have 21 members, the two sides say after talks in Malaysia

TALKS. Gov't implementing panel chair Irene Santiago (L) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal (R) hold up copies of the joint statement after talks at the Palace of the Golden Horses in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, August 14, 2016. Rappler photo

 

The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels on Sunday, August 14, agreed on "substantive aspects" on the peace roadmap, including an expanded Bangsamoro Transition Council (BTC).

 

The expanded BTC, which is tasked to draft a new Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), will now have 21 members, according to a joint statement of the government and MILF panels, released at the end of the meetings marking the start of the implementation phase of the peace process

In the expanded BTC, 11 members will come from the MILF while 10 will be from the government, the statement read. At present, the BTC has 15 members – 8 coming from the MILF and 7 chosen by the government – following the 2015 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

In addition, the statement said "the Parties committed to work collaboratively and cooperatively to ensure efficient and inclusive implementation of the GPH-MILF signed agreements" to sustain the gains of the ongoing peace talks.

The two sides also committed to "sustain trust and confidence" by pushing through with the implementation of deliverables stated under the Program for Normalization.
There will also be regular meetings in the Philippines, the statement added, in a bid to speed up the peace process.

"We are now going into a problem-solving mode," said Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) implementation panel chair Irene Santiago, referring to the implementation phase of the peace talks.

"I can only look forward with optimism," she added.

Expanded BTC 'inclusive'

Prior to the release of the joint statement, OPAPP's Santiago told Rappler that increasing the members of the BTC is one way of making the peace talks "inclusive."

Santiago said they are eyeing participation of indigenous peoples (IP) communities, local governments, sultanates, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and other groups in the talks.

"As a positive gesture, the MILF agreed to increasing the number of the BTC to 21," Presidential Chief Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said during a question and answer session with journalists after the meetings.

SEALED. Members of the government and MILF peace panels at the end of the negotiations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, August 14, 2016. Rappler photo

"We are now in a problem-solving process," also said MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal.

Expanding the BTC "is not a violation" of the process, Iqbal said, adding that they agreed on it as an "improvement" in the process.

As for the members of the expanded BTC, the current members are considered resigned as of July 21.

MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim said they might retain some members and include "new faces," but the final names have yet to be settled.

While political aspects of the talks don't need legislation, most aspects of normalization would be tied to the proposed law, especially decommissioning, said Murad.

The panels will meet in the Philippines this coming week, and Dureza said there will be a "very hectic schedule ahead" for the peace talks.

Details of the meeting will be released soon, he added. "There's no time to waste."

Long road to peace

The 12,000-strong MILF has waged a bloody insurgency in the mainly Muslim southern Philippines since the 1970s but the 2014 accord had raised hopes of a lasting peace.

Under the accord, the rebels would have only given up their arms after a law was passed creating an autonomous homeland in Mindanao and a regional government was elected.

The vote was meant to take place alongside the May 2016 general election.

However, a bungled raid into MILF territory that killed 44 police commandos in 2015 derailed the passage of the law and stalled the peace process with the rebels.

Armed Muslim groups have been fighting since the 1970s for an independent Islamic state or autonomous rule in the south, which they regard as their ancestral home. The conflict has claimed more than 100,000 lives.

The conflict has condemned millions of people across Mindanao to brutal poverty and created fertile conditions for Islamic extremism, with the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and other hardline militants making remote areas their strongholds.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/143026-gph-milf-joint-statement-kuala-lumpur-peace-talks