WAIT AND SEE Members of the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) line up inside their camp in Datu Saudi, Maguindanao, as the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) agreed on a peace framework. Leaders of the BIFF, which broke away from the MILF, have adopted a wait-and-see attitude toward the peace process. JEOFFREY MAITEM/INQUIRER MINDANAO
The government’s preliminary peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is a step toward finding solutions to the problems that have long beset Muslim Mindanao and a boost to efforts to stabilize the country’s internal security, Sulu Rep. Tupay Loong said Sunday.
Loong, who chairs the Muslim affairs committee in the House of Representatives, said he believed the government and the MILF were sincere about their latest efforts to forge peace by creating a new autonomous territory called Bangsamoro, and he was, for the moment, “optimistic 100 percent” about the agreement.
The framework agreement lays down the groundwork for the creation of Bangsamoro in an effort to end a decadeslong insurgency in Mindanao that has killed more than 150,000 people.
“That made a breakthrough on the government initiative to stabilize the situation in the Muslim community. That is a big contribution to the stability of the internal security of the Republic of the Philippines,” Loong said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Fixing all
Loong said Congress, which would write the law that would establish Bangsamoro, would have to see to it that the interests of both the government and the MILF were accommodated.
It should also ensure that all legal grounds are covered, he added.
Senators welcomed the agreement. The Senate peace and unification committee chairman, Teofisto Guingona III, called it “a vital step forward to our shared goal of achieving just and lasting peace in Mindanao.”
Sen. Franklin Drilon said the agreement would “open doors of opportunities for much-needed livelihood and socioeconomic programs in the entire Mindanao.”
Sen. Loren Legarda said that while details of the agreement were being threshed out all affected parties should participate in the formulation of the final deal to ensure that the Bangsamoro people’s right to self-determination would remain within national sovereignty.
The military said it supported the preliminary peace agreement.
In a statement, Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr., spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), described the framework agreement as a “significant milestone in our pursuit of a just and lasting peace for our nation.”
“The AFP fully adheres to the primacy of the peace process as we continue to support all the peace programs and endeavors of the government,” Burgos said.
“We look forward to the sealing of the final peace agreement very soon, which will eventually bring renewed peace in Mindanao,” he added.
The chief of the Philippine National Police, Director General Nicanor Bartolome, said pursuing the peace pact was “worth giving … serious attention.”
“We’ve always been looking for genuine peace in Mindanao and this is one good opportunity to discuss things out and be able to forge an agreement for a lasting peace,” Bartolome said.
Loong said the framework agreement may not necessarily establish an entirely new political entity since the Constitution requires an autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao.
“If we’re going to abrogate the existing autonomy, that might be perceived as unconstitutional because the existence of an autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao is mandated by a constitutional provision. So maybe this can be discussed, the legal implication can be discussed,” Loong said.
In Mindanao, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway group from the MILF, said it would watch developments closely.
“We are applying a wait-and-see stance,” said Abu Misri Mama, BIFF spokesperson.
“Anything that is good for the Bangsamoro, we will support, but if that fails we will maintain our stance and that is independence for Mindanao,” Mama told the Inquirer by phone.
“If it succeeds, then we will support and recognize it,” Mama said.
Ricky Juliano, vice president for Mindanao of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said the business community in Mindanao, especially in Muslim Mindanao, welcomed the framework agreement.
“It will surely improve the business climate and then the quality of life of all Mindanaoans,” Juliano said.
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu also welcomed the agreement.
“A genuine and acceptable peace pact between the government and the MILF will definitely usher in peace and sustainable development to Mindanao,” he said.
The United States and the Japanese governments welcomed the framework agreement.
“We welcome the announcement by the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that the two sides finalized a framework peace agreement,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas said in a statement.
Thomas said he hoped the agreement, once signed, would lead to lasting peace and economic prosperity in Mindanao.
“The framework agreement is an important first step toward the realization of the final agreement concerning the Mindanao peace process and Japan sincerely pays its respects to both the government of the Philippines and the MILF for their persistent negotiation efforts and to the government of Malaysia for its contribution as the facilitator,” the Japanese Embassy said.
Supporters
Both Japan and the United States supported the peace process, funding development projects to encourage peace negotiations and help develop Mindanao.
“While much work remains, successful implementation of this agreement would improve security, stability and development for the people of Mindanao. We fully support the ongoing peace process and hope the parties can continue to avoid violence as they work toward a final resolution that will last for generations and benefit all the people of the Philippines,” Thomas said. With reports from Cathy Yamsuan, Marlon Ramos, Jerome Aning and Edwin O. Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao