MILF secretariat head Jun Mantawil attends for the first time a committee hearing at the House of Representatives on the sealed peace pact between the MILF and Philippine government on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2013. He sits beside OPAPP secretary Teresita Deles and Philippine government peace panel chairperson Miriam Coronel-Ferrer. INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines – It may be the first time a representative of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) set foot on legislative ground.
Jun Mantawil, MILF peace panel secretariat head, attended a committee hearing for Mindanao and Muslim affairs at the House of Representatives Tuesday following the signing of the final annex of the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement between the Aquino government and the MILF Saturday.
Teresita “Ging” Deles, secretary for the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, commended the MILF representative, saying his presence for the first time was a “very good sign and indicates their readiness to be part of the legislative process.
The MILF and the Philippine government signed the last annex of the Bangsamoro framework on Saturday, sealing the deal in a bid to end the decades-long secessionist movement in Mindanao.
The comprehensive agreement will be the basis of the basic law that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with the new Bangsamoro entity.
The law will be crafted by a transitory committee formed by President Benigno Aquino III. Once certified as urgent, the proposed measure would need to be passed by Congress.
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