Talks end with gov’t, MILF panels ‘fully agreed’ on preamble
- Details
By Albert F. Arcilla and Alden M. Monzon in BusinessWorld Online
Many sections of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) remain unsettled as the 10-day meeting between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) came to a close early Sunday evening.
“As for now, we only have fully agreed on the preamble,” MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said in a phone interview with BusinessWorld.
“I cannot give the exact details on each provision because there’s 239 of it. But we have finished a good percentage of it -- fiscal autonomy, patrimony, power-sharing, policing and other supplemental provisions.”
Mr. Iqbal said the talks will be on “indefinite break” but negotiators will remain in contact.
Both the government and the MILF said they will come up with the draft law in two more weeks.
Mr. Iqbal said he will report back to MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim to discuss the progress on the BBL.
The MILF and the government started the talks on the draft law on Aug. 1.
Meanwhile, the MILF has urged the media to be “sensitive” in its reportage, amid news reports quoting MILF leaders as saying there is a breakdown in the negotiations on the draft law.
The call came after several news reports were published in recent days quoting top leaders of the MILF saying there is a breakdown in the ongoing negotiations on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
“We did not warn the government. We never give warnings to the government because hindi namin ugali... na magbigay ng warning [because that is not in our character],” Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice-chairman on political affairs, said in a radio interview in Zamboanga City.
Mr. Jaafar denied saying the statements attributed to him.
“You know there’s a problem sometimes with our brothers in the media, they’re trying to put words into our mouth. Alam ko ito because ang background ko rin media [I know this because my background is also in media],” he said.
“I cannot give the exact details on each provision because there’s 239 of it. But we have finished a good percentage of it -- fiscal autonomy, patrimony, power-sharing, policing and other supplemental provisions.”
Mr. Iqbal said the talks will be on “indefinite break” but negotiators will remain in contact.
Both the government and the MILF said they will come up with the draft law in two more weeks.
Mr. Iqbal said he will report back to MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim to discuss the progress on the BBL.
The MILF and the government started the talks on the draft law on Aug. 1.
Meanwhile, the MILF has urged the media to be “sensitive” in its reportage, amid news reports quoting MILF leaders as saying there is a breakdown in the negotiations on the draft law.
The call came after several news reports were published in recent days quoting top leaders of the MILF saying there is a breakdown in the ongoing negotiations on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
“We did not warn the government. We never give warnings to the government because hindi namin ugali... na magbigay ng warning [because that is not in our character],” Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice-chairman on political affairs, said in a radio interview in Zamboanga City.
Mr. Jaafar denied saying the statements attributed to him.
“You know there’s a problem sometimes with our brothers in the media, they’re trying to put words into our mouth. Alam ko ito because ang background ko rin media [I know this because my background is also in media],” he said.
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