Committees drafting Bangsamoro law OK’d

MANILA, Philippines - The peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) continues to make headway as the Transition Commission has approved its internal rules of procedure and set up working committees to draft the Basic Law for the new Bangsamoro region.

“The government is hopeful that even without the annexes, the Commission can soon start discussions on the substantive provisions of the framework agreement,” government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said yesterday.

Ferrer said the government continues to consult with stakeholders to consolidate support for the implementation of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

She said a draft of the annex on wealth-sharing had been completed by the technical working groups of both parties.

However, Ferrer said the government is reviewing the draft documents before President Aquino gives his final stamp of approval.

Meanwhile, some MILF ground commanders are losing hope that the Bangsamoro issue would be resolved through negotiations, a key official of the group said yesterday.

MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said they have formally informed the government about their concerns on the delays in the peace talks.

“We are not happy and many of our leaders on the ground are slowly losing hope that the Bangsamoro issue will be resolved through talks,” Jaafar said in a phone patch interview with reporters.

“We also sent a message to the government through the facilitator, saying that the MILF is frustrated about what is happening to the peace talks,” he added.

Jaafar said there have been sentiments that the government is deliberately delaying the signing of a comprehensive compact agreement. – With Alexis Romero