Many find solace in dreaming and, therefore, let them continue to dream of that final peace in Mindanao while we in the MILF and government continue to strive to overcome all that stand on our way leading to the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement. 

 

Almost everybody back home smells impending success in our current peace talks, especially this 43rd round of negotiation. They say the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement is just in the corner. They have diverse reasons to entertain such belief and I cannot blame them for it. In fact, I sympathize with them but not necessarily taking their view at face value. But truth is that anyone like me who has been part of the peace journey since the beginning will exactly wish and long for the day of reckoning to come soon.

 

I ask everyone not to stay on the way of these dreamers. Many find solace in dreaming and, therefore, let them continue to dream of that final peace in Mindanao while we in the MILF and government continue to strive to overcome all that stand on our way leading to the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement. 

 

However, this early as expected, the impending success of the talks is gaining many relatives, because success is relative, nay, it has also many fathers. This is a welcome development. It is far better to see droves of people supporting the MILF and declare oneness with it, rather than they join the spoilers and demolish the undertaking. After all, the fruits of the negotiation will redound to the benefit of everybody. This can include even the spoilers and all those who have never shown even a speck of support to the MILF in its four decades of armed struggle and 16 years of hard bargaining on the negotiating table. Truly, it is the nature of a popular struggle, nay jihadic, that except for few hardened outcastes of society everybody is part of the victory party.

 

Be this as it may, let me caution ourselves this early that the final destination of this journey of peace is not within immediate reach yet. We may be able to sign the comprehensive peace agreement soon as we wish, but that is not the end of the odyssey. Remember that the Exit Agreement that will formally terminate this negotiation will only happen if the two parties satisfactorily complied with their part of the deal; in addition, not until after the Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) and the two parties and the Malaysian facilitator finally certify that both parties have fully complied with their obligations in the negotiation. Ideally that day of reckoning will come our way on or before 2016.

 

But as a way of consolation to those who follow us and perchance including ourselves, it is not farfetched that during this 5-day session, we will be able to settle all the remaining outstanding issues on the Bangsamoro Waters and Annex on Normalization that block our way to conclude the talks and eventually sign the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) very soon.  We have covered a lot of ground during our last executive session. Thanks to the openness and spirit of accommodation of the parties, the superb handling of the Facilitator, and the absence of rigidity as in formal negotiations! Moreover, the signing of the Annex on Power-sharing, as we stressed time and again, had effectively provided the parties the much-needed shot in the arm that triggered their adrenalins to shoot up and overcome what previously were held as difficult issues that haunted us for  almost two years since July 2012. I am referring to the issue of Bangsamoro Waters. 

 

At this juncture, let me inform my counterpart, the Malaysian facilitator and the Secretariat, and members of the International Contact Group (ICG) that the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) is working in full blast to fulfil its mandate.  The BTC had just held its 8th regular session in Davao City on January 19-20; its various committees are also holding regular meetings and public hearings or consultations.  Many of these hearings are scheduled to be held in the island provinces. This will bring the BTC closer to the people. 
The crafting of the BBL had already commenced. The BTC set April this year as the deadline for the finalization of the draft of the BBL and by May it will submitted to the Office of the President, who will transmit it to Congress as urgent bill. I trust that the collective wisdom of Congress will ensure the passage of Bangsamoro Basic Law very smoothly.

 

The BTC had also started paying courtesy calls on local executives in Mindanao. On January 16, they called on North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Talino-Mendoza and Maguindanao Governor Esmail “Toto” Mangudadatu, who both received the BTC commissioners exceptionally well. They promised to support the peace process as well as pushing for the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) once the referendum takes place. In February, the BTC will pay visit to governors of the Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan. The BTC is also seriously considering visiting Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco. I do not know how she would react and treat this gesture of goodwill from our side, knowing well how she felt bitter, as anybody else of good sense, in relation to the Zamboanga siege last November. Perhaps, our good counterpart can advise us in this regard. 

 

I am also happy to announce here that the BTC’s Communication Group had been formally constituted and very soon its website (Bangsamoroonline.com) will join the cyberspace communication arena. The BTC has also organized the Task Force on Mamalu-Tabunaway whose functions include the conduct of dialogues between the descendants of Tabunaway and Mamalu, or more specifically, the Maguindanaons and T’durays, respectively, and to make recommendations especially on land issues in aid of the crafting of the BBL. I assure you, insha Allah, that as long as the two groups remain reasonable and commit to balance between history and reality and cognizant of their roots as descendants of the two brothers, everything will be settled for the satisfaction of the parties.

 

On this note, let me thank everybody in this session for giving me the opportunity to render this opening statement.


Thank you, good day, and wassalamu alaikum!