Palace questions suit’s ‘odd timing’

Malacañang chose to focus on what it said was the “odd timing” of the petitions filed on Friday in the Supreme Court against the peace agreement that the Aquino government signed last year with the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) has asked the Supreme Court to declare as unconstitutional the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

“The timing is quite odd. It’s quite interesting because we signed the FAB close to two years ago and then the CAB a year ago,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte.

‘Victim of 2016 polls’

MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal expressed disappointment that those opposing the CAB (and the FAB) appeared to exhibit little understanding of the quest for self-determination of the Muslims in Mindanao.

“We know that what are in the agreements are still not enough to address the Moro problem,” Iqbal said in a phone interview.

“It is hard to make them understand if they do not want to understand,” he said.

Does he feel that the peace process has become a victim of the upcoming 2016 elections?

“Yes,” Iqbal said.

Valte claimed there was “no opposition” to the FAB and CAB when they were signed in 2013 and 2014. She said the discussions on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) must have triggered the objections to the two signed agreements.

She said the petitioners’ contention that the MILF would receive “humongous” benefits from the peace agreement was “hyperbolic,” an apparent attempt to “skew the opinion” of people against it.

She said the government has been transparent and has made copies of the agreements available to the public.

“People who will go through both agreements will be able to judge for themselves what (they) contain,” Valte said.

She said the government was prepared to answer the petition should the Supreme Court require it to do so. Nikko Dizon