GPH: No stalemate in Bangsamoro law talks

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - A senior member of the government peace panel (GPH) assured Tuesday that there is no deadlock in the review of the draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) between the GPH and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel as some points of the so-called “significant differences” in the proposals have been resolved.

However, Cenen Bacani, GPH deputy chief negotiator, said that a mutually approved basic law draft cannot be concluded this week or in time for the state of the nation address (SONA) of President Benigno Aquino III on Monday next week.

“There is no stalemate. The important thing is the outcome, what will be passed and that the approved ones pass by both houses of Congress around this year, 'yan ang importante d'yan,” Bacani said.

The GPH and MILF peace panels met in Malaysia two weeks ago after the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), a body tasked to craft the BBL, called the peace panels to resolve significant differences and the meeting continued Friday last week til Monday.

“May mga diperensya pa rin, but hopefully we can resolve it in due time. But definitely this will not be resolved this week,” Bacani said at the sidelines of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) forum hosted by the Ateneo de Zamboanga University on Tuesday.

The deputy chief negotiator said both panels were working on about a hundred pages with some significant differences which they agreed to put on embargo.

Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, government chief negotiator, in a statement said the GPH stands firm that it wants a basic law that can withstand political and legal scrutiny and be acceptable to various stakeholders, and the nation as a whole.

“We will not and cannot move forward in the roadmap toward the establishment of the Bangsamoro unless we hurdle this crucial stage. We wish the MILF to understand the basis for the comments made as part of the review process by the Office of the President,” Ferrer said.

However, Bacani assured that the so-called significant differences in the draft basic laws are reconcilable.

Bacani described the fresh challenge as temporary. “The passage of the draft will push through. These are temporary, they have to be resolved in one way or the other, it’s just needs time,” he said.