Mindanao governor cautions against hasty implementation of peace deal

By: Jeoffrey Maitem - 11 years ago

South Cotabato Governor Daisy Fuentes. Photo from https://www.lpp.gov.ph

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines—South Cotabato Governor Daisy Fuentes cautioned Malacañang on Tuesday against rushing the final peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, saying the agreement’s implications to Mindanao as a whole should be carefully considered.

Fuentes, speaking to the Inquirer by phone, said also that Congress should ensure the agreement does not result in territorial disputes between the Bangsamoro government and those of its adjoining provinces.

Fuentes, who had publicly announced support for the peace process with the MILF, said she was happy that the four annexes had been signed.

But she said more should be done and this included addressing the roots of the basic problems such as poverty confronting the Moro homeland.

“What the government did is just the first step. But how to implement… how to address poverty… how resources will be shared, and ensuring there will be no more hostilities are separate concern,” Fuentes said.

The negotiating panels of the government and the MILF were expected to sign the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro or CAB within two months, according to Malacañang.

The CAB will be a compilation of the parties’ consensus documents, namely the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and its four annexes on transitional modalities, wealth sharing, power sharing and normalization plus the addendum on Bangsamoro waters.

The CAB will be enshrined in the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the charter of the future Bangsamoro, which Congress will be passing into law.

The Bangsamoro Transition Commission was expected to hand President Aquino the draft of the Basic Law by May. The President would then endorse it to Congress for enactment as an urgent piece of legislation.

Earlier, President Aquino urged the commission to “fast-track the completion of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law to ensure its passage and ratification with enough time to complete the transition tasks in time for the 2016 elections.”