Gov’t, MILF fail to reach agreement on proposed Bangsamoro law

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) panels failed to reach agreement on issues raised in the drafting of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law when their meeting ended in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

In a statement yesterday, the two sides vowed to continue discussions on specific concerns in Manila within the next few days.

“They achieved modest progress and identified consensus language in the light of signed agreements,” read the statement. “They resolved to continue working together to come up with a mutually acceptable draft Bangsamoro basic law.”

The government and MILF panels  recognize the importance of these discussions to ensure that the draft law would be submitted to Congress at the soonest possible time.

During the four-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the two sides discussed the contents of the draft basic law submitted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) and reviewed by the legal team of the Office of the President.

The meeting in Kuala Lumpur gave the two sides a chance to clarify misperceptions and affirm their intent and sincerity to abide by the signed agreements.

The Kuala Lumpur  meeting was held after the BTC issued a resolution elevating to the panels for clarification and resolution the outstanding issues on the draft basic law.

It was hosted and facilitated by Tengku Dato Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed, the Malaysian facilitator for the peace negotiations.

Members of the BTC, as well as the International Contact Group, were also present to observe the discussions.