By Alexis Romero in Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) remains optimistic about the prospects of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) even if submission of the measure to Congress has been delayed.

In an editorial posted on its website luwaran.com, the MILF said no obstacle could prevent its negotiators and their government counterparts if they remain committed to solve the problem in Mindanao.

“The difficulty they faced in coming up with an ‘agreed version’ of the Bangsamoro Basic Law can only be temporary,” the MILF said.

“The road ahead still offers some promises. One good determining factor is that both parties have expressed willingness to travel the extra mile to be able to produce a mutually agreed version of the BBL,” it added.

MILF said it would be better for the two sides to continue the path of peace rather than go back where they started, which it described as “laden with dangers and uncertainties.”

“All what is needed is a little time more; and more importantly, both sides must be truthful and faithful to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and its annexes, which is the basis of the BBL,” it said.

Last March, the government and the MILF signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the document that will serve as basis of the BBL.

In April, the Bangsamoro Transition Commission submitted the draft BBL to Malacañang. A legal team from the Office of the President was tasked to review the draft law before endorsing it to Congress.

The government originally planned to submit the draft law to Congress last May but was unable to meet the deadline.

The MILF has blamed the government for the delays in the crafting of the BBL and stressed that it won’t renegotiate matters that were settled in the FAB.

The MILF claimed the Office of the President’s comments on the draft law “departed from the letter and spirit” of the FAB and its annexes.

The military will hold dialogues with Bangsamoro communities while the government and the MILF are threshing out their differences on the BBL.

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