Gov’t, MILF extend talks for power-sharing deal

MANILA, Philippines – Peace panels from the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) extended their talks for another day as they inch closer towards agreeing on how power will be shared between the proposed Bangsamoro political entity and the national government. 

“We just finished; we’ll continue tomorrow,” government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said in a text message at 9 pm on Friday, October 11. “We’re still aiming to finish 1 annex so let’s hope for the best.”

Sources said Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Secretary Teresita Deles, arrived in Kuala Lumpur Friday afternoon. Her arrival had been scheduled early on. 

The last time Deles graced the talks was on July 13, when both sides signed the annex on wealth-sharing and revenue generation after a 12-hour session. 

Under the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) signed almost a year ago, the envisioned political entity being discussed at the government-MILF peace table will take a ministerial form of government. 

The FAB has identified most of the powers reserved for the central government, including defense, foreign policy, global trade, monetary policy, citizenship and naturalization, and postal service. 

What is being negotiated are the types of powers exclusive to the envisioned Bangsamoro government, and concurrent or shared powers between the central government and the Bangsamoro. 

Sources from both sides earlier said the most contentious issue in the power-sharing annex is the item on “territorial waters” around the proposed Bangsamoro area.

It is difficult because it involves a plethora of factors on power, wealth-sharing, communication, transportation, and security, MILF chief negotiator earlier Iqbal earlier said. (READ: 40th round of GPH-MILF talks end without deal on power-sharing, arms)

The talks are down to the final aspects of the final peace pact. 

Aside from the power-sharing annex, both sides are also negotiating details on the most sensitive issue of the talks: the process of normalization from conflict to peace, which involves decommissioning of arms and disposition of armed forces. 

Timeline

In his opening speech, Iqbal asked both parties to resolve and finish the remaining annexes at the soonest possible time. 

He said the delay is impeding the working timeline of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, the body tasked to draft the Basic Law. Iqbal also heads the commission.  

Lawmakers said it would be ideal for the Transition Commission to finish drafting the law by the first quarter of 2014 to give Congress ample time to discuss and pass the measure. 

Once the Basic Law is passed by Congress and signed by the President, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will be deemed abolished. The MILF-led Bangsamoro Transition Authority will take over until the election of Bangsamoro officials in 2016. 

The current talks are being held after the siege of Zamboanga by forces from a faction of the MILF’s rival group, the Moro National Liberation Front, which left at least 139 dead and thousands displaced from their homes. 

The MNLF under its founding chairman Nur Misuari signed a peace deal with the government in 1996. They staged the Zamboanga siege after feeling left out of the present peace talks. 

As both panels try to hammer out an agreement in Kuala Lumpur, the MILF also complained about alleged ceasefire violations by the military in Basilan.

Despite the setbacks, both the government and the MILF hope the current peace talks will end the 40-year Muslim insurgency in Mindanao. – Rappler.com