MNLF factions laud peace deal between gov't, MILF

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  - Rival leaderships of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) lauded the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the completion of the 43rd Exploratory talks, describing it as a breakthrough in the peace negotiation.

Jimmy Labawan, MNLF central committee vice chairman under the faction of Nur Misuari, in his statement Monday, hailed the signing of the annex on normalization.

In a copy of the statement obtained by the STAR, Labawan also welcomed the call of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the GPH, MNLF,  and the MILF to find common ground and develop a mechanism to ensure that the gains of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) on the implementation of the 1976 Peace Agreement are preserved and the Framework of Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and its annexes are fully implemented with the aim of consolidating the gains achieved by all of these agreements.

Abdul Sahrin, secretary general of the 15-man MNLF Council under the Muslimen Sema faction, also welcomed the resolution issued by the OIC last year urging the consolidation of the gains of the 1996 GPH-MNLF FPA with the FAB of the GPH and the MILF.

“It is good if we can make the two peace agreements together so that we can come up with a more comprehensive, inclusive and meaningful solution to the Bangsamoro problem,” he said.

Sahrin issued the pronouncement two days after the GPH and MILF peace panels signed the Annex on Normalization and the Addendum on Bangsamoro waters to the Annexes on Wealth Sharing and Revenue Generation and Power Sharing.

The Annexes on Transitional Arrangements and Modalities, Wealth Sharing and Revenue Generation, and Power Sharing were signed by the GPH and MILF last year in separate occasions in Malaysia, the third party facilitator.

The FAB and the four annexes will comprise the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the final peace deal between the GPH and the MILF both sides expect to sign soon.

Labawan reminded the MNLF has earlier signed a peace agreement with the Philippines and the OIC is facilitating three-party talks with the GPH and the MILF in the completion for full implementation of the 1996 final Peace Agreement and the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.

Labawan reiterated his appreciation on the continued effort of the OIC with its new secretary general, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and OIC-Peace Committee for Southern Philippines (PCSP) Chairman , Egypt with their assistance and guidance to finally resolve all the MNLF issues during the tripartite meeting.

The MNLF leader further stressed his support to the advocacy in uniting all the Bangsamoro as one in the quest for a pacific resolution of the conflict in Southern Philippines.

Other senior leaders of the MNLF have earlier dropped calls from the government for the MNLF to participate the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) citing it as unconscionable with the existing 1996 peace agreement with the MNLF.

The BBL will be the guiding police once the GPH and the MILF forged the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) for the establishment of the Bangsamoro political entity that will replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

However, Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles said the government and MILF have explained that “the BBL is not just for the MILF but for the entire Bangsamoro people.”

“We continue to hope that the various MNLF leadership blocs will come around to seeing the value of engaging themselves, together with other Bangsamoro stakeholders, in crafting the best possible law for the Bangsamoro,” she added in her statement last week.