On Thursday, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that three factions of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) – Habib Mudjahab Hashim’s MNLF Islamic Command Council (ICC), the Executive Committee of 15 led by Muslimin Sema and Nur Misuari’s group represented by lawyer Randolph Parcasio – agreed to name founder Nur Misuari as their representative in future talks with the government to implement the 1996 peace agreement, and move as one in pursuit of peace and the Bangsamoro aspiration for self-governance.

According to the Philippine Star, the unity of the MNLF leaders, contained in its position paper dubbed as the ‘Jeddah formula’ was signed by its 10 senior leaders and members of the central committee last June 11 in Jeddah before their meeting with the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

IAG's Senior Policy Adviser Fr. Eliseo Mercado, Jr. relays the contents of the 'Jeddah formula':

1. Leaders of the MNLF represented by the 'Jeddah formula' acknowledge that the OIC welcomes the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) as a partial fulfilment of the requirements of both the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and 1996 Jakarta Agreement.

2. On the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB): They welcome the MILF acceptance of autonomy as a solution to the Bangsamoro problem. They express reservation on the provisions of CAB inconsistent with the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and 1996 Jakarta Peace Agreement as they express openness to pursue collaborative efforts to build commonalities. The MNLF leaders hope that in a new autonomy law all the provisions stipulated in the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and 1996 Jakarta Agreement shall be included in tandem with all the provisions in the CAB that strengthen and enhance self rule in Southern Philippines.

3. The leaders of the MNLF call upon the government of the Philippines to positively consider the demand of holding a plebiscite outside the existing autonomous region to finally determine the territorial boundaries of the autonomous government in Southern Philippines in accordance with 1976 Tripoli Agreement.

4. They welcome the initiative of the OIC to avail them of the opportunity to thresh out differences, if any, with the leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and to continue with the MNLF-MILF Coordination Meeting held on December 6-7, 2011, at the OIC Headquarters.

5. They consider the MNLF-OIC-GPH Tripartite Review as an essential mechanism to fully implement the agreements between the MNLF and the Philippine government by resolving all the three remain9ing issues namely a) definition/sharing of revenues of strategic minerals; b) transitory mechanism-provisional government/plebiscite and c) territory.

6. The leaders reiterate their pledge of unity among themselves and commit themselves to maintain this unity and to have a unified solid position towards efforts to arrive at a political, just and lasting peaceful solution to the long standing problem of the Bangsamoro people and Muslims in Southern Philippines. Furthermore, they maintain oneness of MNLF under the leadership of MNLF Founding Leader and Central Committee Chairman Prof. Nur P. Misuari. They further resolve that the leaders on the ground shall work towards a unified leadership.

7. The leaders reaffirmed Attorney Randolph Parcasio as the Spokesperson of the MNLF Jeddah Formula.

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