MILF to announce Transition Commission nominees ‘soon’

MANILA, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has started choosing its nominees for the 15-member Transition Commission (TransCom) that will craft a legislative measure for the Bangsamoro peace plan. 

Members of the transCom will draft the Basic Law that will guide the Bangsamoro Transition Authority. 

The initial list of nominess include a woman, a member of the indigenous peoples, an aleem (Islamic scholar), and a senior military leader of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), said MILF secretariat chairperson Muhammed Ameen in an article posted in Luwaran Monday, December 24. 

Each nominee, Ameed said, must possess two major requirements:

1. must be loyal and dedicated to the Bangsamoro cause
2. must be capable of discharging the task at hand. 

To be selected, a nominee must get the 100% approval of all members present in plenary, and “any dissenting view” will lead to an “automatic disqualification.”

Ameed also said that another one or two TransCom members will be selected in the next 3 days. 

President Benigno Aquino III will appoint the 15 members of the TransCom. The MILF will nominate 8 members while the government will select 7 members. 

All members of the Transition Commission will be Bangsamoro. According to the Framework Agreement, a “Bangsamoro” is defined as those “who at the time of conquest and colonization were considered natives or original inhabitants of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago and its adjacent islands including Palawan, and their descendants whether of mixed or of full blood shall have the right to identify themselves as Bangsamoro by ascription or self-ascription.”

Meanwhile, the government has also started its selection process over the holiday break.  

Earlier, Maguindanao Gov Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu — upon the request of Presidential Peace Adviser Sec Teresita Deles — endorsed two potential members of the TransCom for the government side. They are Maguindanao 2nd District Rep Simeon Datumanong and lawyer Suharto Ambolodto. 

President Aquino signed Executive Order No. 120 creating the Transition Commission on December 17. An initial funding of P100,000,000 was allocated for the process. 

Aside from the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law that shall be take up by the 16th Congress, the TransCom can also recommend amendments to the 1987  Philippine Constitution and assist in organizing development programs in the proposed Bangsamoro political identity, among other responsibilities. 

A day before Malacañang released EO 120, the latest round of talks betwen the government and the MILF ended on ‘technical impasse.’

But government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the delay in completing the annexes that will complement the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro would not have an adverse impact on the peace process as the responsibilities of the Transition Commission entailed a separate process. – Rappler.com