The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have formed technical working groups to come up with a power-sharing and wealth-sharing framework for the proposed Bangsamoro politicaly entity that is the most contentious issue in the ongoing peace negotiations being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In a joint statement issued yesterday, the government and the MILF said the technical working groups “discussed and reached consensus on some issues on power sharing and revenue generation and wealth sharing arrangements.”
The statement was signed by government panel chairman Marvic Leonen and MILF panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal at the end of the 30th round of formal exploratory talks between both sides.
The statement said both panels agreed to meet again late this month.
The forming of a similar body, the Bangsamoro Juridical entity, under a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) signed during the term of former President Arroyo was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
The government had said the current tack will be to replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (Armm) by a new political entity which Leonen will not be a separate state.
The agreement to create the new body was contained in the “decision points on principles” that the peace panels earlier signed during the 27th round of exploratory talks in Malaysia.
Leonen said the political entity being proposed will be an autonomous area within the Republic of the Philippines, within its territory, and within its national sovereignty.
Leonen said that the negotiations now deals with how the political entity will actually be put in place which he said would require legislation.
Iqbal in a speech in the end of the recent round of negotiations belied short message system (sms) or text messages circulating in Mindanao indicating the government and MILF have already signed the framework agreement for the establishment of the new Bangsamoro political entity.
“The truth of the matter is that we are still here in Kuala Lumpur trying to hammer out this issue. The end of the road for this is still very much to be reckoned by the parties,” he said.
“It is in the concluding stage of the negotiation that the spoilers are expected to launch their last-ditch efforts to frustrate our effort to conclude these talks successfully. The recent aggression initiated by the so-called Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) against government forces is an example of dirty spoiling. Their intention is clearly to shame us and to stop the peace negotiation,” he said.
The statement also condemned as senseless the recent attacks launched by the BIFF which is supposedly the armed component of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM), “as well as the violent acts of lawless elements in several areas in Mindanao.”
“The GPH and the MILF denounce these aggressions or dirty spoiling by groups who will do everything to derail the peace process. The parties will work together to ensure that these spoilers will not succeed as the Parties continue to push forward to bring just and lasting peace to our peoples and communities,” the statement read.
Government forces backed by armored vehicles, meanwhile, recaptured Thursday the village of Meta in Datu Unsay, Maguindanao which renegade Muslim rebels seized on Monday.
Col. Mayoralgo de la Cruz, chief of 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, said his troops recovered the village at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday after bomb experts and infantrymen cleared the area of booby traps and BIFF snipers. Only the villages of Iginagampong and Maitumaeg remained under rebel control, according to De la Cruz.
Meanwhile, some of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have started to return home as the situation is slowly returning to normalcy.
According to Assistant Sec. Pombaen Karon Kader of the Department of Social Welfare (DSWD) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), some of the IDPs have opted to return home since the flash point is far from their communities.
Kader said relief workers from the government and private sector have intensified its distribution of rice and noodles to affected families.
A total of 11 persons, four soldiers, four rebels and three civilians, have been killed in the conflict which started when Moro rebels attacked military detachments in five Maguindanaon towns.
Rebel spokesperson said the attack was in retaliation to the death of one BIFF members in the hands of the military in Datu Unsay but the military has denied the allegations.
Colonel Prudencio Asto, spokesman of the 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division, said the atrocities committed by the BIFF under Commander Amerl Umra Kato was meant to disrupt the on-going peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Kato, former head of the MILF’s 105th base command, was ousted from the MILF due to disobedience and for attacking civilian communities in North Cotabato in 2008.
The BIFF is now considered lawless and as such they are not covered by the existing general agreement on the cessation of hostilities between the GPH and MILF.
“They are not in their right mind,” Asto said of the rebels who cut trees and topple down power lines.
De la Cruz said the soldiers also cleared the roads leading to Hill 224 where more than 1,000 Tiduday natives have been “trapped” since Monday.
“Relief workers have reached them and provided them emergency food,” dela Cruz said.
A Philippine National Police-Special Action Force operative, however, was killed as BIFF elements conducted another harassment attack at a security outpost in Barangay Maitumig, Datu Unsay, Maguindanao Friday night.
Asto identified the fatality as Police Officer 1 Randy Dumaguing. He said that unidentified BIFF members fired on the detachment and quickly withdrew after the police manning the outpost fired back.
Authorities, meanhile, said they are focusing on land conflict as the motive behind the explosion that rocked a building in Kabacan, South Cotabato last Friday.
The ongoing investigation claimed that a land dispute between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Libreation Front (MILF) triggered the tension.
The military added there are some local government unit in Cotabato province and some concerned agencies who are currently undertaking efforts to mediate between the two warring groups in order to patch up and settle things.
As this developed, the Kabacan police have tightened up its security in the town. Checkpoints have also set up to man the peace and order situation.
An explosives and ordnance division (EOD) team is also investigating to determine the identities of the suspects for their arrest.
The explosion took place at about 8 p.m., Friday on top of the Quacknet Building at the corner of Bonifacio Street and Rizal Avenue along the national highway in Kabacan.
Few hours before the blast, the military have declared that the situation in areas where the fighting occurred between the government troops and the BIFF went back to normal.