Palace backs MILF political party

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Monday threw its support behind the plan of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to put up its own political party for the 2016 elections.

The MILF plan is consistent with the road map setting up a new Bangsamoro entity by 2016, officials said.

“It is consistent with the goals of any negotiated political settlement to transform the engaged armed party into an unarmed political and socioeconomic force for continuing change and reform,” Secretary Teresita Deles, presidential adviser on the peace process, said in a statement.

This shows the MILF’s commitment “to prepare itself for the challenge of democratic and inclusive governance” in the Bangsamoro, she added.

Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator in the peace talks with the government, stressed the need to organize a political party “if we want to participate in the running of the Bangsamoro political entity.’’

The government and the group were expected to resume talks anytime on the annexes of the preliminary agreement setting up the autonomous Bangsamoro entity, possibly ahead of President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address on July 22.

The entity would replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Abigail Valte, deputy presidential spokesperson, agreed with Deles.

“As you all know, the road map toward the establishment of the Bangsamoro ends in 2016 and, understandably, the MILF needs to make the necessary preparations,” Valte said.

But Valte left it to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to decide whether or not to help the MILF set up its party.

“I don’t really want to comment on this yet, primarily because I don’t have information whether, in terms of capacity building, they would need assistance to transition,” she said.

Valte said the talks on the annexes would continue and expressed confidence that the final comprehensive agreement would be implemented before Aquino steps down in June 2016.

A 15-member Transition Commission is in the thick of drafting a proposed law creating the Bangsamoro entity, which would be carved out of the ARMM, for presentation to Congress.