By SAMMY JULIAN
Manila News Bureau Chief
MANILA — The Aquino administration denied reports that the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is in the brink of collapsing due to numerous disagreements between the two parties over certain provisions of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
In fact, the two peace panels are working hard to finalize the agreement, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles clarified.
“The peace panels of the GPH (Government of the Philippines) and MILF continue to work hard in Davao to complete a mutually acceptable draft BBL to be submitted by the President to Congress for enactment into law,” Deles said.
Citing information from chief government negotiator Miriam Coronel–Ferrer, Deles said both parties are already in agreement on about 70 percent of the provisions.
Still to be discussed are the power and wealth sharing between the national government and the envisioned Bangsamoro government, she said.
“This speaks of the true state of the draft BBL and the serious commitment of the parties to see the process through to its just and peaceful conclusion,” Deles said.
She added that they hope to submit the draft measure to Congress this month.
Earlier, MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal expressed concern over the watered-down version of the draft BBL after majority of the measure was supposedly either deleted or revised by the Palace legal team.
Iqbal reportedly claimed that the Palace version departed from the peace agreement signed by the two sides in March.
Presidential Communications Operations Office secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. tried to allay concerns of an imminent collapse of the peace pact that may lead to resurgence of the Muslim separatist rebellion in Mindanao.
Coloma maintained that the two peace panels are trying to find a common ground on the draft BBL, particularly on the language that will be used.
“The declaration of (Ferrer), chair of the Philippine panel, is clear that the determination of the two sides to reach an agreement has not been diminished,” Coloma said in a Palace press briefing. “Maybe we can avoid speculations about that because they are trying to complete the Bangsamoro basic law.”
“Our focus is not on the deadlock and not on the disagreement,” he added. “All areas of common ground are being looked into to reach a swift agreement.”
Coloma said the Palace remains hopeful that the draft BBL will be completed soon to comply with the timeframe of the peace process.
The submission of the draft BBL to Congress has been pushed back a number of times due to the reported constitutionality issues plaguing some of its provisions.
The Bangsamoro Transition Commission earlier drafted the planned bill and submitted it to President Aquino for review in April. The President’s legal team recommended some revisions to the draft BBL to comply with the Constitution and adhere to the peace pact. The MILF, however, was not pleased with the later version.
Based on the government timetable, Congress must pass the BBL by December, after which a plebiscite will be held in areas of the envisioned Bangsamoro territory by early 2015.
After the plebiscite, a Bangsamoro Transition Authority will be installed as interim government until the new officials are elected in 2016./PN
