President
Benigno S. Aquino III has reiterated his commitment to the peace process in
Mindanao, declaring in a statement prior to his departure for the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations-United States (ASEAN-US) summit in California that
he would discuss the Bangsamoro peace process and the shelved Bangsamoro Basic
Law (BBL) with his fellow leaders.
“Ito
na nga po ang pinakahuling ASEAN Summit na dadaluhan ko bilang Pangulo ng
Pilipinas. Ito na rin ang pinakahuling pagkakataon na maibabahagi ko sa kapwa
nating mga pinuno ng ASEAN ang paninindigan natin sa ating prosesong
pangkapayapaan, na siya nating ambag sa pagtugon sa isyu ngextremism at kawalan
ng stabilidad ( This is indeed the last ASEAN Summit that I will attend as the
President of the Philippines. This is also the last time that I can share with
my fellow ASEAN leaders our resolve to this peace process, that is our
contribution in responding to the issues of extremism and lack of stability),”
said Aquino.
US
President Barack Obama will be hosting the 10 ASEAN leaders at the Rancho
Mirage in Sunnylands, California. The aim of the meeting is to further
strengthen and improve the Joint Strategic Partnership between ASEAN nations and
America. The last ASEAN-US summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in
November 2015. This will be the first time that the meet will be conducted on
US soil.
Among
others, Aquino is expected to attend the summit’s Retreat Session 2 “Protecting
Peace, Prosperity, and Security in the Asia-Pacific”.
Focusing
on the BBL, Aquino stressed the importance of the BBL in achieving peace and
development in the Philippine south.
Both
the House of Representatives and the Senate went on recess last February 5 till
after the national and local elections without passing the proposed measure
that would have replaced the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM) with a parliamentary regional government with more political and fiscal
autonomy.
As
early as the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in
March 27, 2014, President Aquino already pinned high hopes on the BBL. “The
Bangsamoro shall form a perimeter of vigilance against the spread of extremism;
it shall act as a bridge of moderation among the great faiths of the various
constituencies in ASEAN,” he declared then.
“As
the Bangsamoro matures, it shall serve as the gateway to trade, investment, and
cultural exchanges within the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East
ASEAN Growth Area and its environs—igniting a virtuous cycle of security,
development, and equitable progress for the peoples of the entire region,” the
President declared at the CAB signing.
Despite
the non-passage of the BBL, the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) reiterated their continued commitment to
the peace process. This was also echoed by the representatives of the various
peace structures and mechanisms of the Bangsamoro peace process.
“The
two Parties reaffirmed their commitment to stay the course of peace. They shall
sustain the existing peace infrastructure. This infrastructure is fundamental
in keeping the peace on the ground and supporting the implementation of the
CAB. It is important that it remains functional for the next administration to
carry forward the implementation of the agreements,” said the panels in a joint
statement after the meeting.
Under
the CAB, the implementation of certain provisions would move alongside legislative
developments in the BBL. For instance, the decommissioning of MILF weapons and
combatants and the transformation of MILF camps into productive, peaceful
communities will only be completed once the BBL has been passed and the
Bangsamoro regional government has been established.
“The
Parties recognize that the non-passage of the BBL has adversely affected the
timeline of establishing the Bangsamoro entity. They agreed that the means
forward is the early passage of this legislation in the next Administration and
Congress, which is a requirement for implementation of significant aspects of
the CAB including the decommissioning of MILF weapons and combatants,” the
panels said in their recent statement. (OPAPP)
No comments:
Post a Comment