UN Chief Hails Aquino Over ‘Bangsamoro’ Deal
Manila Bulletin
October 9, 2012
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday Ban commended President Benigno S. Aquino III for his vision and courage, as well as the commitment of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leadership in reaching a framework peace accord ending a decades-long Muslim separatist insurgency that killed 150,000 people.
This developed as Malacañang said nobody, not even the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), will be left out in the government’s consultations on the proposed creation of the new autonomous Bangsamoro region.
The agreement would see the establishment of a new semi-autonomous Muslim area in the resource-rich Mindanao, which the 12,000-strong MILF regards as its ancestral homeland.
Ban expressed “his heartfelt wishes for peace and prosperity to the government and the people of the Philippines,” and in particular the people in the new semi-autonomous region, called Bangsamoro.
Mindanao served as a base for the MILF, the biggest and most important remaining rebel group, after the Moro National Liberation Front signed a peace pact with the government in 1996.
It is one of the most fertile and resource-rich parts in the archipelago -- but decades of violence and unrest have left it into one of the poorest regions of the Philippines.
The rebellion, which began in 1978, has left 150,000 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the framework agreement is doable without a constitutional amendment. This agreement must be “given a chance to work” and must be studied “carefully before shooting it down,” he stressed.
In a brief talk with Senate reporters, Enrile said the creation of Bangsamoro, a political entity that will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), does not require amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
Chief Philippine negotiator Marvic Leonen, in an interview with Manila Bulletin, allayed fears about the framework peace deal, clarifying fears that the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) will be disregarded in the crafting of the peace agreement.
Leonen is certain that all Bangsamoro organizations such as the MNLF will play a crucial role in the crafting of the peace agreement.
He noted that the government peace panel (GPH) is certain to provide a seat for the MNLF in the creation of a Transition Commission that will work in the drafting of a Bangsamoro Basic Law to jumpstart the agreement. “We are definite that the MNLF will have a seat in the GPH,” Leonen said, citing that Cotabato City Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema, one of the founding members of the MNLF, has expressed his support to the framework agreement. Leonen also maintained that the agreement will push through this time following the stalling of a previous agreement five years ago on the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain.
Leonen expressed confidence that there will no longer be any more delays in the creation of a Bangsamoro government. “How can you be wrong in this kind of approach? Look at the big picture.
The big picture is independence. They turned down to Cha-cha. They did not ask for an Islamic state.
We have been fair with respect to their territory, which is smaller than the MOA-AD, and culture such as applying the Shar’iah Court to the Muslims,” he said.
Deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the government has already posted the preliminary peace agreement with the MILF on its official website precisely to encourage public discourse prior to its formal signing next week.
Valte made the remarks after the MNLF reportedly expressed concern over the framework deal that seeks to create a new autonomous political entity by 2016.
Even former MNLF chief Nur Misuari has questioned the draft GRP-MILF peace agreement, insisting the government has not yet fully complied with the pact signed with the MNLF in 1996.
“The draft framework agreement was precisely announced even before the signing because we want to engage the public. We want to have discussions and consultations with the stakeholders,” Valte said in a Palace press briefing.
Meanwhile, various nations throughout the world has congratulated the Philippines and the MILF on the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the framework deal.
According to Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, "the early signature of this truly historical document is a major step towards a long-lasting peace in Mindanao, which will lead the island to stability and prosperity."
Ashton added that the EU recognizes the contribution of the Malaysian facilitator of the peace talks, Tengku Dato' Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed as well as the members of the International Contact Group, to the successful conclusion of the peace negotiations.
Earlier, United States Ambassador to Manila Harry K. Thomas, Jr. welcomed the announcement by the Philippines and the MILF that the two sides finalized a framework peace agreement.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK believes the framework agreementhas the potential to bring peace, stability, and development for Muslims in Mindanao.
British Ambassador to Manila Stephen Lillie said the peace process between the GPH and the MILF has taken a huge step forward with this framework agreement. —wth reports from Sarah H. Velasco, Genalyn D. Kabiling, Mario B. Casayuran, and Roy C. Mabasa
This developed as Malacañang said nobody, not even the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), will be left out in the government’s consultations on the proposed creation of the new autonomous Bangsamoro region.
The agreement would see the establishment of a new semi-autonomous Muslim area in the resource-rich Mindanao, which the 12,000-strong MILF regards as its ancestral homeland.
Ban expressed “his heartfelt wishes for peace and prosperity to the government and the people of the Philippines,” and in particular the people in the new semi-autonomous region, called Bangsamoro.
Mindanao served as a base for the MILF, the biggest and most important remaining rebel group, after the Moro National Liberation Front signed a peace pact with the government in 1996.
It is one of the most fertile and resource-rich parts in the archipelago -- but decades of violence and unrest have left it into one of the poorest regions of the Philippines.
The rebellion, which began in 1978, has left 150,000 people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the framework agreement is doable without a constitutional amendment. This agreement must be “given a chance to work” and must be studied “carefully before shooting it down,” he stressed.
In a brief talk with Senate reporters, Enrile said the creation of Bangsamoro, a political entity that will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), does not require amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
Chief Philippine negotiator Marvic Leonen, in an interview with Manila Bulletin, allayed fears about the framework peace deal, clarifying fears that the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) will be disregarded in the crafting of the peace agreement.
Leonen is certain that all Bangsamoro organizations such as the MNLF will play a crucial role in the crafting of the peace agreement.
He noted that the government peace panel (GPH) is certain to provide a seat for the MNLF in the creation of a Transition Commission that will work in the drafting of a Bangsamoro Basic Law to jumpstart the agreement. “We are definite that the MNLF will have a seat in the GPH,” Leonen said, citing that Cotabato City Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema, one of the founding members of the MNLF, has expressed his support to the framework agreement. Leonen also maintained that the agreement will push through this time following the stalling of a previous agreement five years ago on the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain.
Leonen expressed confidence that there will no longer be any more delays in the creation of a Bangsamoro government. “How can you be wrong in this kind of approach? Look at the big picture.
The big picture is independence. They turned down to Cha-cha. They did not ask for an Islamic state.
We have been fair with respect to their territory, which is smaller than the MOA-AD, and culture such as applying the Shar’iah Court to the Muslims,” he said.
Deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the government has already posted the preliminary peace agreement with the MILF on its official website precisely to encourage public discourse prior to its formal signing next week.
Valte made the remarks after the MNLF reportedly expressed concern over the framework deal that seeks to create a new autonomous political entity by 2016.
Even former MNLF chief Nur Misuari has questioned the draft GRP-MILF peace agreement, insisting the government has not yet fully complied with the pact signed with the MNLF in 1996.
“The draft framework agreement was precisely announced even before the signing because we want to engage the public. We want to have discussions and consultations with the stakeholders,” Valte said in a Palace press briefing.
Meanwhile, various nations throughout the world has congratulated the Philippines and the MILF on the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the framework deal.
According to Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, "the early signature of this truly historical document is a major step towards a long-lasting peace in Mindanao, which will lead the island to stability and prosperity."
Ashton added that the EU recognizes the contribution of the Malaysian facilitator of the peace talks, Tengku Dato' Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed as well as the members of the International Contact Group, to the successful conclusion of the peace negotiations.
Earlier, United States Ambassador to Manila Harry K. Thomas, Jr. welcomed the announcement by the Philippines and the MILF that the two sides finalized a framework peace agreement.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK believes the framework agreementhas the potential to bring peace, stability, and development for Muslims in Mindanao.
British Ambassador to Manila Stephen Lillie said the peace process between the GPH and the MILF has taken a huge step forward with this framework agreement. —wth reports from Sarah H. Velasco, Genalyn D. Kabiling, Mario B. Casayuran, and Roy C. Mabasa
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