MNLF leader agrees GPH complied with 3 consensus points

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - A senior leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) agreed that the Philippine government (GPH) has complied with the three consensus points as part of the implementation of the GPH-MNLF 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA).

Habib Mujahab Hashim, chairman of the MNLF’s Islamic Command Council (ICC) issued his observation during a private meeting with Undersecretary Jose Lorena of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

The meeting took placed at the sideline of the technical informal meeting of the Tripartite Review Process (TRP) on the implementation of the 1996 GPH-MNLF FPA early this week at the New World Hotel in Makati City.

The TRP, which involved GPH, MNLF and top officials of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that acts as third party facilitator through the OIC Peace Committee of the Southern Philippines (OIC-PCSP) will prepare for the formal tripartite meeting in November in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

According to Hashim, while nothing has been agreed upon during the technical meeting, the three consensus points were clarified to him during his private meeting with Lorena.

The remaining points include the transition government for MNLF and sharing of resources and the referendum.

He said from the stand point of the government, the referendum had been conducted which resulted to the assumption of MNLF chairman Nur Misuari as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) from 1996 to 2001 when Farrouk Hussein succeeded as governor following the estoppel doctrine.

Hashim said the same principle was applied in the transition issue when Misuari accepted to head the Southern Philippine Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD).

Meanwhile, the sharing of resources was incorporated with the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) over the agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“So legally and technically, it will be very difficult for the MNLF to say those things have not been complied with by the Philippines. So the doctrine of estoppel applies,” Hashim said.

However, Hashim said they can still pursue the three issues to be implemented in areas outside the present ARMM through the 1976 Tripoli accord that seeks 15 provinces. Currently, only five provinces under the ARMM were adopted following the referendum in 1989.

“So medyo na technical kami. But in the 15 provinces only 5 were included, so we still have 10 provinces. But this should be subjected to lengthy discussion,” Hashim added.