Misuari denies askingBIFF to stop peace pact

MANILA, Philippines - Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari yesterday denied asking the radical Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to exert all effort to block the signing of the framework agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last Oct. 15.

“I have no contact with Kato’s group,” Misuari said, referring to the BIFF’s head, renegade MILF commander Ameril Umbra Kato.

BIFF spokesman Abu Misry Mama claimed on Wednesday that Misuari called him up on his cellphone just before the signing of the agreement and asked him to convince the BIFF leadership to “do everything” to stop the signing before Oct. 15.

Misuari, however, said a man claiming to be the spokesman for the BIFF was the one who called him but he denied the request.

“I have no authority to order Kato because he is not under MNLF, they are separate group and we do not have any contact with them,” he said.

He said there was no attempt on the part of the MNLF to stop the signing since they are not a party to the agreement between the government and the MILF.

He said the main concern of the MNLF is the full implementation of the internationally recognized accord with the government brokered by the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC, formerly the Organization of the Islamic Conference).

Misuari added the OIC has already sent an invitation to attend and speak before the meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers in Djibouti next month.

“I already received my invitation to attend the foreign ministers meeting, I will report development in the Philippines and it’s up to the OIC to decide on the issue,” Misuari told The STAR.

With a status of regular observer, the MNLF is given periodic notice on OIC meetings before an invitation is sent, he said. Misuari also ruled out any debate by government representatives on the newly approved framework in the OIC meeting because the top agenda is the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Misuari maintained the problem of the Bangsamoro in Mindanao has already been addressed with the series of agreements brokered by the OIC, which was the reason why OIC secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu attended the signing of the framework agreement with the MILF in Malacañang to observe the new development.

“As far as the OIC is concerned, the final implementation of the Tripoli and other agreement is fully implemented,” he said.

Misuari added he is also preparing his report on the status of the tripartite agreements forged by the Philippine government under the auspices of the OIC.

Misuari said his attendance at the OIC meeting was among the issues discussed during his meeting with Ihsanoglu at the Shangri-La hotel in Makati City recently.

He said Ihsanoglu proposed the holding of a tripartite meeting between the Philippine government, the MNLF and the OIC to “find practical and implementable solutions for the remaining unresolved issues.”

Misuari maintained the signing of the framework agreement with the MILF would go down in Philippine history as the “greatest diplomatic blunder” committed by the government.

He said forging an agreement with the MILF is a slap on the face of the OIC that has brokered the internationally recognized agreement between MNLF and the government.

Misuari claimed the framework agreement was a product of conspiracy between some Philippine and Malaysian officials to prevent the final implementation of the Tripoli Agreement.

Misuari also denied discussing the framework agreement with Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) acting governor Mujib Hataman, saying their discussion was focused on the ARMM development problems in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Misuari further claimed hundreds of MILF guerillas had sent feelers to rejoin the MNLF to protest the newly signed peace agreement. 

Former peace negotiator Jesus Dureza said the Aquino administration must not belittle and should “reengage” Misuari to ensure the success of the framework agreement with the MILF.

Dureza, who held various posts on Mindanao and peace during the Ramos and Arroyo administrations, said it would be “a big mistake to drop Misuari from our radar screen and relegate him to the wayside as a ‘has-been’ just because we all want to give prominence and importance to the MILF framework agreement for peace.”

Dureza noted Misuari, in spite of having been jailed more than a few times in the past, was able to muster 10,000 followers in a show of force in Davao City last week.

“He (Misuari) is still an icon to many Muslims, whether MNLF or non-MNLF, due to his personal sacrifices for the Bangsamoro and his earned stature with the Islamic world. Government must re-engage not disparage Nur,” Dureza said.

“Nur’s MNLF definitely is not a spent force as some of us want to believe,” he said.

Dureza added the difficult part of the implementation of the agreement, which will abolish the ARMM and set up the Bangsamoro region, is the crafting of annexes that will be appended to the mother agreement. “The agreement is not complete. Putting flesh to it is a challenge. Both sides will have to work on this ‘peace by piece’,” he said.  

Bangsamoro region

The government peace panel is aiming to finish the process of setting up the envisioned Bangsamoro region within the remainder of President Aquino’s term of office.

Chief peace negotiator Marvic Leonen made this clear in a recent briefing he and Presidential Peace Adviser for Peace Process Teresita Deles gave Mindanao congressmen on the framework agreement the government has signed with the MILF.

The agreement seeks the creation of the new Bangsamoro autonomous entity that would replace the ARMM.

Leonen said the administration is hoping that the law creating Bangsamoro would be approved before Aquino’s term ends on June 30, 2016.

Within that timeframe, Leonen said the administration also hopes that the plebiscite on the approval by the affected people of the proposed Bangsamoro territory would have been conducted.

He said the election of officers of the envisioned new region would take place in May 2016, simultaneously with the election of Aquino’s successor.

He added that their timeline calls for submitting the draft Bangsamoro organic law to the next Congress, which will be elected in May and will convene in July.

Leonen pointed out that they could not submit the proposed law to the present Congress, whose term expires in June, since it has yet to be drafted after consultations with stakeholders.

Leonen told congressmen that the President would shortly issue an executive order creating a transition commission that would craft the legislation creating the Bangsamoro region.

Under the framework agreement, the commission would be composed of 15 members, “all of whom are Bangsamoro.” Seven would be chosen by the government, and eight by the MILF, including the chairman of the commission.

The transition body would be independent from ARMM and other government agencies.

The government would allocate funds for its operation, and state agencies would be required to support it in the performance of its task.

ARMM would cease to exist upon the enactment of the Bangsamoro law.

The Bangsamoro Transition Authority would replace it until the officers of the new region are elected in 2016. It was not clear, however, who would comprise the transition authority.

The framework agreement provides that the Bangsamoro region “shall have a ministerial form” of government.

This means that the region would have a parliamentary setup to be headed by a chief minister elected by members of the regional parliament, Leonen said.

He said the presidential form of government existing in the country and the envisioned regional parliamentary system in Mindanao could coexist, as has been the experience of Spain in the Basque region that has a different political configuration.

Peace negotiators from both sides, joined by congressmen and other officials, have flown to Spain purposely to study its Basque region.

According to one congressman who attended Leonen’s and Deles’ briefing, it was the MILF that proposed the installation of a parliamentary system in the planned Bangsamoro region.  –  Jess Diaz, Paolo Romero