KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb. 12 (OPAPP) — The Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), together with the various peace structures working under the Bangsamoro peace process, are meeting in the city to re-assess means of moving forward in light of the 16th Congress’ failure to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) before it adjourned last week.
“Today could have been a much happier occasion, if only we had the law that would have moved our road map forward in leaps and bounds,” GPH chief negotiator Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said. “But we do not have the law – yet. Despite the extraordinary efforts of our teams and all the other tireless peace advocates and congressional allies who traveled with us in this difficult journey of a thousand miles, we saw the session days in Congress wither away, without a BBL in sight.”
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have recessed last February 5 up until after the May 9 national and local elections without passing the BBL. The proposed law would have established a strong autonomous regional parliamentary government that would replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The non-passage of the law would lead to the archiving of the bill by the current Congress, which means it would have to be re-filed again when the new Congress convenes in July.
While the non-passage of the legislative measure has made it difficult for the Bangsamoro peace process to move forward and increased uncertainty on the ground, Ferrer said that the path remains clear as the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) remains signed and in place together with the many peace infrastructures established through it.
“The MILF and the government shall jointly find ways and means to address this dangerous situation and avoid actions that may increase the frustrations. We must provide them hope that there is a chance for passage of a CAB-compliant BBL whoever will be the next President,” MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said. Iqbal is also chair of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, the body that drafted the original BBL draft.
Support for the Bangsamoro remains intact
Joining the GPH and the MILF panels in Malaysia are European Union Ambassador (EU) Franz Jessen; United Kingdom Representative to the International Contact Group (ICG) Thomas Phipps; Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) Chair Mo Bleeker; Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) Chair Mustafa Pulat; and Third-Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) Chair Alistair MacDonald. Malaysia, as third-party facilitator, is continued to be represented by Tengku Dato’ Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed.
The Malaysian facilitator commented that the upcoming elections must not deter the peace process from moving forward. “Let’s think how we will move forward. We must preserve the gains, we must continue… Changing of government doesn’t mean changing of infrastructure. We may add, but not subtract.”
“The journey has not yet ended but the meeting today demonstrates that the perseverance and commitment have not been lost. The Parties, meeting here today, are proving that they, that you, are resilient and truly committed to peace. This is an important message to the public,” said EU Ambassador Jessen, who was invited by the panels to observe the meeting.
“I encourage the Government of the Philippines and the MILF to continue seeking the paths for the implementation of commitments made over the 17 years of negotiations and continue their engagements. This meeting is crucial as it will offer the opportunity to reassess, reschedule, and prepare for the next phase of the process,” he added. (OPAPP)
