PHILIPPINE peace negotiators said autonomy for Mindanao and a move toward federalism will be done parallel to each other, as the peace process gains new momentum under the administration of President Duterte.
Alongside Mr. Duterte’s approval of a peace road map enabling an all-Muslim body to draft a new enabling law in lieu of the unpassed Bangsamoro basic law (BBL), leaders and people from academe gathered during a book launch that chronicled peace talks in Mindanao over the years.
During the launch of the book in Makati City, entitled Mindanao, A Long Journey To Peace And Prosperity, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) Undersecretary Diosita Andot said the office will focus on both continuity and change, while adding that the government is now in the implementation stage in the peace process.
Andot said the government eyes simultaneous efforts between the move toward federalism and the creation of a new enabling Bangsamoro framework.
“Work on the new proposed Bangsamoro enabling law will be done simultaneously with the moves to shift to a federal setup. The latter is expected to come later in the planned timeline. Our road map now calls for parallel track,” Andot said.
For his part, Paul Hutchcroft, a professor from the Australian National University and editor of the book, said there is still a long way to go after publishing the book, and that Australia’s role in the talks is more crucial than ever.
“As the peace process moves into a new phase with new approaches, this volume will be an important foundational resource in the ongoing quest for peace and prosperity in Mindanao. The book is a testament to the deep and bilateral linkages between Australia and the Philippines,” Hutchcroft said.
Australian Ambassador Amanda Gorely pitched in that the Australian government has already invested almost $150 million for peace and development in Mindanao and has been providing education, disaster-risk reduction and economic development support for 20 years already.
Gorely said the embassy is planning a nine-year education program providing institutional support and aid in curriculum development and teacher training in Mindanao.
Gorely added that Australia’s help came with the belief that a prosperous Philippines will increase stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Andot said the reconstitution of the Bangsamoro transition commission, which will be tasked to propose more inclusive amendments in the Constitution pertinent to the Bangsamoro, will also be done.
She added that new strategy aims to cover more areas in Mindanao, including communist and rebel-stricken areas, providing socioeconomic help and basic services in the communities affected.
“Socioeconomic interventions must be extended in the Bangsamoro area, as well as areas where communist guerrillas operate. What we should be aiming more is to cover more communities as much as possible. The reason socioeconomic development basic infrastructure go hand-in-hand with negotiations is that the poor cannot be made to suffer anymore,” Andot said.
Formal talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front are expected to resume after the president’s first State of the Nation Address.
Opapp Secretary Jesus Dureza, who came in later during the book launch, said a reconstituted executive order will be released soon regarding the enabling law with high regards.
“Bubuhayin natin ’yang Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and will do the implementing mechanism with a new Congress, a new effort. We will pick up from the former the Bangsamoro transition commission to restart again a new effort,” Dureza said.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front Peace Panel Chairman Mohagher Iqbal said they are hoping an earlier passage for the BBL so that it can be a template for federalism in the country.
Image credits: Stephanie Tomampos
