Middle ground with MILF sought

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer File Photo

MANILA, Philippines–President Aquino is seeking the “middle ground” with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) amid disagreements over the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that was supposed to be submitted to Congress more than two months ago.

Aquino on Monday met with the government peace panel for two hours after both sides agreed to get “a little breathing space” and return to their respective principals at this stage of the talks.

Over dinner with reporters Monday, chief government negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer admitted the draft could not be submitted to Congress in time for the President’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 28.

“We both think this is better than trying to rush submission in time for the opening of Congress because we feel that there are issues that we need to continue to discuss,” Ferrer said.

She said it was not “farfetched” that Aquino would be meeting with MILF chair Murad Ibrahim “as soon as possible depending on the need.”

“Right now, we really have to go back and reflect on… what we have achieved and the fundamental starting points that will continue to serve as our basis for continuing this process,” she said. “So [we just want] a little breathing space in the meantime.”

Ferrer said both sides were going through the draft BBL, which was prepared by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), “line by line” and had gone through all 18 articles.

“The decision points will have to go through the principals,” she said. “That’s why the President gave time for this to know where we are now.”

Recalling the meeting with Aquino, Ferrer said the President “was also looking for a middle ground and affirmation of basic [principles].”

A Malacañang review team earlier returned the thick BBL draft, replete with major revisions, a move that prompted both panels to return to Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago to thresh out their differences.

They reported “modest progress” and continued the meeting last Friday in Manila. Ferrer said both sides remained focused on coming up with a “mutually accepted draft.”

By while no draft BBL will be sent to Congress when it opens next week, a Bangsamoro government should still be in place before President Aquino steps down in June 2016, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said on Tuesday.

Both the government and MILF panels have been working on an “agreed version” of the BBL after the Office of the President (OP) left practically nothing in the original version with its comments and proposed revisions.

The OP’s comments rankled the members of the MILF negotiating panel and the BTC, which drafted the law and which Iqbal chaired.

The two panels’ special meetings ended on Monday.

An Inquirer source said the MILF was not aware that Monday’s meeting had ended before noon, as Iqbal and the other negotiators waited for the government panel to return after what was supposed to be a brief break.

Iqbal declined to comment on the abrupt end to Monday’s meeting.

Instead, he said, he was willing to work on the draft law, even if it would take both panels days, and even while the Muslims involved were fasting during Ramadan.

Iqbal, however, stressed the nonnegotiables for the MILF in the draft law.

“We registered our position in Kuala Lumpur. First, that all the issues that have been settled and all signed documents would no longer be the subject of renegotiation. Second, all the languages that were settled in the signed documents would no longer be the subject of renegotiation,” Iqbal said.

Iqbal, the often stoic, inscrutable MILF chief negotiator, admitted he was hurt and offended after seeing what he described as the “diluted” version of the draft BBL.–Christian V. Esguerra and Nikko Dizon

Originally posted: 7:28 pm | Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014

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