Senate wants to probe deal with MILF

By: Norman Bordadora - 11 years ago

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Teofisto Guingona III is seeking an inquiry into the framework agreement and the recently completed annexes signed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to know what it will hold for the country if a Bangsamoro Basic Law was enacted.

Senator Teofisto Guingona III. INQUIRER.net file photo

Guingona, a senator from Mindanao, proposed Senate Resolution No. 471 which seeks to direct the Senate committee on peace, unification and reconciliation to hear the stakeholders in the peace process with the MILF.

The framework agreement outlines general features of a political settlement between the government and the MILF, including the carving out of a new and autonomous Bangsamoro homeland that will replace the current Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. The annexes include those on transitional arrangements, wealth sharing, power sharing and normalization (the laying down of arms). There is also an addendum on Bangsamoro waters.

“[Considering] the importance of the peace process and impact of the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, a deeper understanding is imperative for Congress as well as for the public,” Guingona said in one of the premises of his resolution.

Legislative amendments and an eventual referendum will be needed to keep the Bangsamoro agreement within the bounds of the Philippine Constitution.

Guingona said the hearing will be conducted on the framework pact and its annexes “with the end in view of gaining a firmer grasp of the issues and challenges that will be faced by the nation with the impending passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.”