Palace: MNLF invited to signing of Bangsamoro accord

Moro National Liberation Front. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Friday said  it has invited the  Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to witness the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) despite its opposition to the said deal.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told reporters in a press briefing that Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Ging Deles confirmed that an invitation has been sent to the MNLF.

Lacierda said they expect more than a thousand guests to attend the  historic signing of the agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front at the Palace on Thursday next week.

“We are expecting more than a thousand guests to witness the signing of the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro. The venue will be in the Malacañang,” he said.

He said Malacañang has also invited Prime Minister Najib Razak to the event but the Malaysian leader has yet to confirm his attendance.

According Lacierda, the government was hoping that the Bangsamoro Law would be passed before the year ends.

The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, he said, is still with the Transition Commission.

“We are hoping that they would be able to finalize everything by March or by April but, we need the draft to be submitted to us early so that the process will be…The Bangsamoro Transition Commission will forward it to the Office of the President for further review,” he told reporters.

Lacierda added that once it is approved, it will be submitted to Congress and the President will certify it as urgent.

The Palace hopes that Congress would tackle it with urgency, he said.
“This is a very important bill, it’s not only historic but, it’s also very, very vital to the development in Mindanao,” Lacierda said.

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