Philippine Islamist rebels warn against 'law dilution'

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF warned against the "dilution" of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in a statement posted on their website today, after some legislators withdrew their support for the law, with others calling for revisions.

The law would have called for the creation of a new political entity in southern Philippines, with the MILF as a signatory to a peace agreement.

This comes in the aftermath of heavy fighting that took place in southern Philippines on Jan. 25, 2015, that saw 44 police commandos of the Special Action Force (SAF) and 18 MILF rebels killed.

"It is a pity that many people, including many legislators who are ignorant of the fact of these negotiations, are discussing the BBL without a good grasp of the facts surrounding the proposed law, " the MILF said on its website.

"The BBL is the end product of a 17 long and hard (peace) negotiations, interspersed with bloody wars in Mindanao, between official representatives of the GPH and the MILF," it added.