Gov't, MILF disagree on draft Bangsamoro Basic Law

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government said today that "significant points of differences" on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) continue to threaten the roadmap towards the establishment of a Bangasamoro government.

Government of the peace panel head Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said that the government stands firm that it wants a BBL that can withstand political and legal scrutiny and be acceptable to various stakeholders, and the nation as a whole.

"We will not and cannot move forward in the roadmap towards the establishment of the Bangsamoro unless we hurdle this crucial stage," she said in a statement.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-led Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) prepared the BBL draft, which was reviewed by the legal counsels of Philippine President Benigno Aquino.

After months of review, Aquino's office returned the draft to the BTC with lots of recommendations to ensure that all its provisions are constitutional so that when it is forwarded to Congress, it will pass legal scrutiny.

"We wish the MILF to understand the basis for the comments made as part of the review process by the Office of the President," Coronel-Ferrer said.

She acknowledged that both the GPH and the MILF want the BBL draft to be submitted to Congress as soon as possible.

But she stressed the government could not substitute haste with prudence.

"Whatever delay we are experiencing now is intended to avoid further difficulties after the bill is submitted to Congress... what we want is a mutually acceptable draft as the two panels have agreed to accomplish. We ask the MILF to reflect on how we can arrive at this," Coronel-Ferrer said.

The BBL is the organic law for the envisioned Bangsamoro government that will replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by 2016.

The passage of the BBL is part of the comprehensive agreement that the Philippine government and the MILF signed in March this year to end the decades armed conflict in Mindanao.