Gov’t, MILF to tackle power sharing, energy control in talks

OZAMIZ CITY – Power sharing between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will top the list of issues to be discussed as negotiators from the two sides meet in Kuala Lumpur Monday.

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the meeting would focus on building consensus on “the flesh-and-bones of a political settlement” to end over four decades of Moro rebellion in Mindanao.

In April, both panels agreed on 10 decision points, including an agreement to create a new autonomous political entity to replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

During last month’s talks, chief government negotiator Marvic Leonen sought to defer further discussions on the power-sharing issue so that they will have time to assemble “enough information to be able to produce a clearer position…”

In his opening statement during the April talks, Leonen particularly cited the MILF proposal of listing energy among the “exclusive power of the autonomous political entity.”

Leonen said the proposal “have indeed caused a very involved discussion within the government.”

In Mindanao, at least half of electric power is generated by the Agus hydropower complex along the Agus River, which is dependent on the waters of Lake Lanao, which is within the autonomous territory.

Sulu Sea, which is claimed by the MILF for a Moro maritime territory, is also believed to contain rich gas deposits.

Iqbal said in Monday’s meeting, the panels agreed to discuss how the new political entity would share power with Manila.

The power-sharing discussions between the panel would jump off from the government’s comments on 73 items the MILF listed as exclusive powers of either the national government or the autonomous political entity, and concurrently shared.

Leonen said the government panel “have engaged the relevant cabinet clusters, departments and initially… the President” regarding the MILF list.

The decision points already reserved for the national government are powers over defense and external security, foreign policy, common market and global trade, coinage and monetary policy, citizenship and naturalization, and postal service.

These areas are part of the list of powers not to be exercised by the ARMM under Republic Act 9054, which amended the region’s charter.

Under RA 9054 the Regional Legislative Assembly is also prohibited from legislating laws touching on the areas of administration of justice except Shariah; quarantine; customs and tariff; general auditing; elections; patents, trademarks, trade names, and copyrights; and maritime, land and air transportation, and communications, except those within the region.

But RA 9054 also granted the ARMM the power to enter into economic agreements, an attribute the peace panels earlier agreed to transfer to the new autonomous political entity.

Iqbal said the discussions on power-sharing should further sharpen the attributes of the new entity to replace ARMM.