MILF peace negotiating panel chair Mohagher Iqbal before the CAB commemoration event in Notre Dame University, Cotabato City. KRISTINE ANGELI SABILLO/INQUIRER.net
COTABATO CITY, Philippines—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is steadfast in its rule against endorsing presidential candidates in the upcoming May national elections but that doesn’t mean it will not have its pick.
“We do not engage in open endorsement,” MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal told reporters on Monday on the sidelines of the second anniversary celebration of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signing.
However, he said they are open to listen to the plans of the five presidential candidates on the peace process.
“Until now we are trying to know the real platform of the respective presidential candidates. And at the end of the day, if everything is clear that a certain candidate is pro-BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law) and would continue the peace process, then we have a way to tell our people that this is the perfect candidate,” he explained. “But we cannot come out openly.”
READ: Only 3 options for MILF after BBL non-passage, says Iqbal
“We will tell our people that this is the platform of a particular candidate,” he added.
He said so far, only Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is advocating federalism, has approached them to talk about the issue.
“He said: ‘If I will be the president of the Philippines, I will push the BBL in Congress,’” Iqbal recalled.
“Duterte had already visited Darapanan (the headquarters of the MILF). And we are expecting the other candidates to visit the leadership of the MILF,” he said. “From there, we can have a very open dialogue and perhaps point blank question on their policy on the BBL and the peace process.”
Iqbal, however, said that they will not directly invite the candidates to come to Camp Darapanan. Instead, the candidates are free to come so MILF leaders and members can listen to them.
Asked if Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago will never be supported by the MILF because of her views on the CAB and BBL, Iqbal said: “That is her prerogative to say that.”
“She can still make up for that. There is still more than two months before the election,” he said, adding that there is still hope that she will change her mind on the issue.
Iqbal said there must be continuity in the process because the Philippine government and the MILF already signed the CAB and the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
He said the next administration will have to start where the administration of President Benigno Aquino III ended—the passage of the proposed BBL.
“Negotiation (with the next administration) will start from where we stopped. It will not start from the beginning,” he said.
If the next president will insist on starting from scratch and there is no movement in the negotiations, Iqbal said it will be considered a “standoff.”
During his speech, Iqbal called on the presidential and senatorial candidates “to take their unequivocal stand on the CAB and the BBL.”
“You will surely inherit this political problem. We urge all of you to clarify to us the policy that your administration will pursue vis-à-vis the CAB and the BBL. The Bangsamoro votes may pale in comparison to the votes of Christians, but even a single vote can make a difference,” he said.
READ: Failure to pass BBL not a reason to stop Bangsamoro agreement celebration
Meanwhile, Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chair of the Philippine government peace panel, said that it will be difficult to have a comprehensive discussion on the peace issue during an election campaign.
“Kaya nga sana ang kagustuhan natin ipasa natin ang isang magandang sitwasyon dito sa usaping Bangsamoro sa susunod na administrasyon para hindi na rin mahirapan, makita ang kahalagahan nito, mga nakamit at ipagpatuloy,” she said.
(That is why we wanted to pass the BBL so the next administration would face a better situation. It won’t be that difficult for them and it will be easier for them to understand its importance and what the peace process has achieved.)
Coronel-Ferrer said the next administration will “have no choice” but to continue the peace process.
Asked how this will be possible especially after the botched Mamasapano operation, which left more than 60 people dead, she said: “After Mamasapano, nangyari yung Paris, yung Istanbul, Ankara, Brussels, Iraq, Lahore.”
“Nangyayari yan sa iba’t ibang panig ng mundo. Dito sa atin napangalagaan natin ang ceasefire. Ano ang gusto nating mangyari sa ating bansa? Pumunta doon sa nangyayari sa ibang bansa?” she asked.
(After Mamasapano, there were terrorist attacks in Paris, Istanbul, Ankara, Brussels, Iraq, Lahore. There are conflicts in different parts of the world. Here, we were able to maintain the ceasefire. What do we want to happen? For us to share the fate of the other countries?)
Coronel-Ferrer said people should realize that the MILF is an organization which believes in peace talks and if the process will continue, extremists and terrorists will have fewer bases in this part of the world. RAM