Gov’t hopes Malaysian PM attends peace pact signing

DAVAO CITY , Philippines– Government officials are hoping Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will attend the historic signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) at Malacañang on March 27.

Najib earlier signified intention to attend the formal signing but Philippine officials are still awaiting confirmation.

At Malacañang, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters in a press briefing yesterday that Najib’s attendance as well as the representatives from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) were not yet confirmed but invitations had been sent.

Malaysia has brokered the peace process between the government and MILF panels and formal and informal talks were held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

In a statement yesterday, government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the signing of the final peace agreement seals the partnership for peace and prosperity between the government and the MILF.

“This partnership is based on our shared aspiration to heal the wounds of conflict, enable meaningful autonomy for the Bangsamoro, and nurture peace and development in Muslim Mindanao,” she said.

The CAB brings together all the major agreements signed by the parties in the course of the 17-year negotiations. Its most important parts are the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the four annexes.

These documents provide the roadmap and terms pertaining to the creation of the Bangsamoro entity and the transformation of the MILF from an armed group to an active participant in governance and social reform.

“From the FAB to the CAB, we have come a long way,” Ferrer said.

“We dedicate the signing of the CAB to all the people who have helped us reach this stage in the journey. To them we owe this opportunity to bring our people closer together toward shared peace and prosperity under one country standing tall before the global community,” she said.

The signing ceremony at Malacañang is expected to be attended by more than 1,000 people.

Ferrer and MILF panel chair Mohagher Iqbal will sign the CAB with Malaysian third party facilitator Tengku Dato Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed as witness.

President Aquino and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles and MILF chief Al Haj Murad Ebrahim are also expected to deliver their messages before representatives of the international community and various sectors.

United Nations Development Program (UNDP) administrator Helen Clark will also witness the signing.

Clark will arrive on Tuesday for a three-day visit to advance the United Nations’ support to overall development in the country, with a focus on assistance for post-typhoon recovery and the peace process in Mindanao.

Simultaneous celebrations

Meanwhile, simultaneous celebrations are being organized by different organizations in various parts of Mindanao and Metro Manila to welcome the signing of the final peace accord.

The CAB serves as basis for the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law being done by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.

The draft law will be submitted to Congress and certified by the President as urgent.

A plebiscite will then be held in areas identified in the agreement after the law is passed.

These areas are the current provinces and cities in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the cities of Isabela and Cotabato, six municipalities in Lanao del Norte, and 39 barangays in six municipalities of Cotabato province.

Other geographic areas that are contiguous to the enumerated places and that wish to join the plebiscite may do so through a resolution passed by the local government unit concerned or a petition of at least 10 percent of registered voters in the locality two months before the conduct of plebiscite.

The Bangsamoro Basic Law will provide for the modalities that would allow them to join the plebiscite.

Terms of reference

The government and MILF panels are working on the terms of reference for the different bodies that will be created as part of the normalization process.

These bodies include the joint normalization committee that will oversee the programs for normalization and transitional security arrangements that will build on the current cooperation under the ceasefire agreement.

“We are also going to invite local and foreign experts who will sit in the independent decommissioning body that will manage the inventory and verification of the MILF combatants and armory,” Ferrer said.

“Moreover, we will form a transitional justice and reconciliation commission that would study and propose programs that would address historical grievances and heal the wounds of war.”

The two panels have continued with their consultations and dialogue in different parts of the country to update the people on these steps being taken.

Spoiler alert

Meanwhile, ARMM authorities yesterday said measures are in place to avert the possible sabotage of the signing of the CAB.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman yesterday said they are not undermining the Misuari faction of the MNLF which has strongly opposed the government-MILF peace talks from the beginning.

A senior Muslim rebel leader also told The STAR yesterday that they are consolidating their ranks in preparation for any eventuality.

“We feel that we have been betrayed by this government, and it is but proper for us to make our preparations in case there’s a need for us to exercise our options,” Absalom Cerveza said.

While maintaining that the peace agreement between the government and the MNLF is still in effect, Cerveza expressed disappointment at how their group was left out of the peace talks between the government and the MILF.

“We have not in any way been hardheaded in playing our role in the resolution of the Mindanao conflict. We have tried to bend a little bit without jeopardizing the interest and aspirations of our people,” Cerveza said. – With Aurea Calica, Jose Rodel Clapano, Jaime Laude, Pia Lee-Brago, Roel Pareño