IN a move seen by many as fastracking the peace process, chief government negotiator Marvic Leonen has announced the next exploratory talks will be held within next week.
“This time, the government is more ready to deal with the most contentious issues to resolve the decades-old Mindanao armed conflict,” according to Dean Marvic Leonen, chairman of the government peace panel.
The 30th GPH-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) explorotary talks was held on August 6-8 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with “noticeable progress.”
Apparently inspired by the progress of the recent talks, Leonen said he has proposed the resumption of the process within the next two weeks.
In last meeting, both panels have formed the two joint technical working group that will study and make recommendations on the issue of power and wealth sharing.
In a statement, Leonen said the government peace panel has reaped praises from the President.
"President Aquino is very much involved, very much knowledgeable about all the issues that we discussed across this table," he said.
“WE will return to the negotiating table in two weeks time more prepared, more ready to engage the MILF, with respect to the most contentious issues that we have identified so far,” he said.
Leonen added: “I think I reflect the position of this particular administration of the Republic of the Philippines in saying we are fully committed to understand the problem, first and foremost.”
"And second, to try to find solutions with you – not unilaterally, but with you, in order to bring about this kind of justice that we want,” he added.
The GPH panel is composed of Leonen as chairperson and Prof. Miriam Coronel Ferrer, former Secretary Senen Bacani, Yasmin Busran-Lao, and Hamid Barra.
On the last day of the 30th exploratory talks, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles and acting Governor Mujib Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao were present as observers.
Mohaqher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, welcomed Leonen’s announcement of early resumption of talks.
This is the first time in 15 year-old GPH-MILF peace process that exploratory talks are held twice a month.
Elated by the proposed early resumption, Iqbal stressed the MILF’s commitment in settling the decades old Mindanao problem at the conference table.
He assured the government and the general public that “the MILF is a reliable partner in peace making. And we are also a reliable partner in confronting the challenges ahead of us because one of the reasons is that we have the support of our people. And we know what we are doing now is not against what it was supposed to be – a good approach in solving the problem in Mindanao.”
The creation of a joint task group was a good step toward fastracking the process, according to Iqbal.
“They discussed and reached consensus on some issues on power sharing, revenue generation, and wealth sharing arrangements,” both sides said in a joint communique following last week’s meeting in Malaysia.
Talks resumed on August 6, a day after former MILF members turned bandits launched attacks in Maugindanao in what peace panels believed was an attempt to derail the peace talks.
In a statement, both sides condemned “the senseless attacks of the so-called Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFF-BIFM), as well as the violent acts of lawless elements in several areas in Mindanao.”
The statement said: “The GPHL 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 people and communities.”
Leonen said the power and wealth sharing are among the few contentious issues both panels have to deal with as the process came to the homestretch.
As discussed by the TWG on power sharing, it has three items on the table: reserved powers for the national government, exclusive powers for the new political entity which will replace the ARMM, and concurrent powers shared by the national government and the NPE.
Reserved powers of the national government refers to defense and external security, foreign policy, coinage and monetary policy, among others.
The wealth sharing issue, on the other hand, refers to revenue generation and sourcing. This is important to ensure fiscal autonomy of the NPE with capacity to have its own sources of revenues.
The BIFF issue was included in the discussion but not lengthy, a source present during the last meeting said on condition he will not be named for lack of authority.
Iqbal, at the last day of talks, issued a statement on the Maguindanao skirmishes, describing the BIFF as peace spoilers.
“It is our common knowledge that the spoilers are doing their part in trying to make the peace process very hard for us. There was sabotage on the ongoing MILF-Government peace negotiations,” Iqbal said.
Ealier, Secretary Deles pointed out that the BIFF, being lawless and no longer part of the MILF, is no longer covered by the cease-fire agreement.
“This act of aggression of the BIFM is meant to derail the peace process between the government and the MILF. We assure the public that these incidents will not affect the substantial gains that we have carefully and persistently built with our counterparts, foremost of which is the cease-fire mechanism that continues to hold on the ground and kept the peace for our communities,” she said in a statement released on the second day of BIFF offensives in Maguindanao. (EDWIN O. FERNANDEZ)