MILF submits nominees to transition body

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MANILA, Philippines—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front  peace panel has presented to Malacañang its nominees to the 15-member Bangsamoro Transition Committee, which is to  draft  the Bangsamoro Basic Law according to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

The MILF  submitted eight names to Malacañang, which include its chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal and a female lawyer, the Inquirer learned from an MILF source.

On the other hand, the government has yet to submit its nominees who have been vetted by a search committee, a statement from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said.

“Very soon we’ll have the members of the Transition Commission announced and duly appointed, and they can start working together on their mandate,” government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said in the statement.

The Transition Commission will draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which would be certified as urgent by Mr. Aquino. People in the core Bangsamoro territory will vote to ratify the new law in a plebiscite.

The new Bangsamoro entity  that will emerge from the Framework Agreement will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which President Aquino has labeled  a “failed experiment.”

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said that the Transition Committee “shall have gender, ethnic and generational balance.”

“This is to ensure that voices of all Bangsamoro stakeholders, including women, indigenous peoples, and the youth, will be part of the TransCom that will craft the Basic Law,” Deles said.

In December last year, President Aquino signed Executive Order No. 120, which provided for the creation of the Bangsamoro Transition Committee.