Mindanao leaders welcome signing of Bangsamoro power-sharing deal

Members of the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). AFP FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY – A number of political leaders in Mindanao welcomed on Monday the signing by negotiators of the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front of an agreement regarding the sharing of power between the national government and local authorities under a proposed new Bangsamoro autonomous set-up in Muslim Mindanao.

The governor of a Christian-dominated province called the development an “early Christmas gift,” while Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which the proposed new Bangsamoro autonomous entity is to replace,  called it a breakthrough that has “brought us closer to a final peace deal.”

The agreement on power sharing, which was signed by the heads of the two panels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday night, is actually one of four annexes intended to flesh out the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed by the government of President Aquino and the MILF on Oct. 7, 2012.

Together, the annexes and the framework agreement would constitute a final peace agreement to end more than 40 years of conflict in Mindanao and would pave the way for the passage of a new law setting up the Bangsamoro autonomous entity.

Negotiators on both sides signed the annex on transitional arrangements and modalities last February, the annex on revenue generation and wealth sharing last July.

“The signing of the Annex on Power Sharing leaves the issue on Normalization as the only remaining annex on the negotiating table,” Hataman said.

This last annex would outline the measures and processes that will be taken for the normalization of the situation in Mindanao, including the laying down of arms by the rebels and the passage of the necessary legislation setting up the Bangsamoro autonomous entity  and the holding of a plebiscite should amending the Constitution be required.

Hataman reiterated on Monday an earlier assurance that the current ARMM leaders would not be a hindrance to the implementation of the final peace accord.

“We will give way in case of a peace agreement,” he said.

The Bangsamoro entity is envisioned to replace the ARMM system, whose limited autonomy the MILF has consistently branded a sham.

Hataman appealed for support for the ongoing peace process “so that we can successfully gear towards its final conclusion.”

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said it was important that the power-sharing agreement be signed because it would speed up the establishment of a Bangsamoro entity.

“We welcome the signing of the power sharing agreement between the GPH and the MILF panels, which refers to the extent of power and authority conferred to the MILF. With the forging thereof, our people are confident that peace, development and prosperity, not only in Maguindanao province, but in the entire proposed area of responsibility of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, will be hastened,” Mangudadatu said by text message.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Mendoza said the signing of the annex was not only a welcome development but also “an early Christmas gift for the peace-loving people of Mindanao.”

“With the recent man-made and natural calamities that hit Zamboanga and the Visayas, the execution of the power sharing agreement comes at a most appropriate time to tell us that we can still hope to achieve peace or hope for a solution for lasting peace as we all rebuild from the devastations that were brought to us through all these years of conflict,” Mendoza said in a statement.

Mendoza said the signing was very substantial progress in the long search for a solution to the Moro problem.

“In the past, it has often been set aside due to lack of or excess and overlapping claims to power,” she said.

Mendoza said she was optimistic that a final peace agreement would be achieved before President Aquino’s term ends.

In the annex on normalization, the government has proposed the total deactivation and surrender of firearms of the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces.

But it was not clear whether they would be integrated into the military or the police as in the case of the Moro National Liberation Front when it signed a peace agreement in 1996.

Integration of rebel forces into various government security units has become a norm in several peace processes.

Aside from the MNLF, many members of the Cordillera Peoples’ Liberation Army were also integrated into the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The CPLA also undertook lengthy peace talks with the government and in 2011, it signed an agreement with the government for final disposition of arms.

Under the 2011 agreement, interested CPLA forces would also be absorbed into the AFP. With a report from Charlie Señase, Inquirer Mindanao

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