Gov't, MILF to sign comprehensive peace deal on March 27

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government today confirmed that it is set to sign the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on March 27.

"After 17 long years of arduous negotiations, we are finally arriving at a political settlement that will seal enduring peace and progress in Mindanao," Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles said in a statement.

Deles, however, did not confirm a local newspaper's report that the signing will be held in Manila, specifically in Malacanang, the presidential palace.

The government issued the statement after a local newspaper in southern Philippines came out with a report stating that the signing of the CAB will be held on March 27 and that the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law will be submitted to Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on March 31.

The MILF, the biggest Muslim rebel group in the country, and the Philippine government will sign the CAB two months after they completed the four annexes of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro on Jan. 25.

The government said the crafting of the four annexes and the additional addendum on Bangsamoro Waters underwent "painstaking deliberation" by the two parties and thorough discussion and internal consensus-building on each side, and was based on extensive consultations with concerned local government units, religious and civil society leaders, and communities.

MILF, which has been pushing for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao, signed a peace framework agreement with the Philippine government in October 2012.