GPH still confident Bangsamoro issues resolved soon

COTABATO CITY, Philippines --- The government’s peace panel on Saturday reiterated  that it is confident of resolving contentious issues  of the draft Basic Bangsamoro Law with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The proposed BBL, drafted by the MILF-led Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), and which Congress has to enact into law, is needed to legitimize the replacement of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with a new Bangsamoro self-governing political entity.

The government and MILF peace panels have been holding dialogues in Davao City since Friday to reconcile  their position on the details of the BBL, regarded as the “final result” of the 2013 Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro, and the March 27, 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro.

GPH chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer on Saturday morning told Catholic station dxMS in Cotabato City that some terminologies used in the draft BBL have yet to be discussed and that efforts to resolve the misunderstandings on its content are still underway.

She said resolving the issues regarding the content of the draft BBL must be a two-way process and not just a sole effort of the Philippine government.

“Things are going on smoothly and we are confident of reaching a consensus on this,” Ferrer told station dxMS via mobile phone.

Ferrer’s counterpart in the MILF, Muhaquer Iqbal, presiding chair of the BTC, described as a “problem solving process" the efforts of both sides to address all constraints besetting the draft BBL.

Iqbal said the MILF wants all snags ironed out sooner than expected so that the draft BBL  gets forwarded  to Congress for enactment.

The BBL, once enacted into law, shall be ratified via a referendum in the proposed territory of the Bangsamoro entity.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles had said in an emailed statement that President Benigno Aquino III is “all out” in his bid to have the BBL draft enacted into law by Congress.  

“The BBL topped the list of 26 proposed priority measures that was submitted by the Office of the President for enactment by the 16th Congress,” Deles said.

Deles said the President's  action showed  that Malacañang  wants the government's March 27, 2014 peace compact with the MILF implemented “in letter and spirit.”

“This August, the draft BBL should be submitted to Congress because if it takes longer, Congress will also face a hard time to fast-track its passage," she said.