Wednesday, February 17, 2016

PNoy carries Bangsamoro peaceprocess agenda to ASEAN-US Summit



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)

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