MANILA, Philippines–The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels are set to meet in Davao City from Aug. 1 to 10 to continue working on an agreed version of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The 10-day meeting is one of the longest working sessions in the peace process, stressing the necessity to complete the task as soon as possible. The panels met the weekend before President Aquino’s penultimate State of the Nation Address (Sona) last Monday, and declared a break for the MILF to observe Eid al-Fitr Tuesday that marked the end of Ramadan.

“What is important is there is a movement forward but the task is really very tough,” MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal told the Inquirer after the President’s Sona on Monday.

After putting together an agreed version of the draft bill, the panels will go to Kuala Lumpur “to formalize the decision,” Iqbal said.

Cornerstone

Malaysia is the third-party facilitator in the peace process between the government and the MILF.

Negotiating peace in Mindanao is among the cornerstones of the Aquino administration, as the long-drawn-out war with the Moro secessionist group has left a high death toll, thousands of displaced families, and stunted economic and human development.

In his Eid al-Fitr message to the Filipino Muslims on Tuesday, President Aquino said that the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed between the government and the MILF showed that both parties were bound by the desire to have peace.

“We continue to build a more harmonious, more just country as we begin to ease the disquiet that has long shaken our lands… Let us sustain the gains of positive reform and be steadfast stewards of unity and development in our society,” President Aquino said.

Happy with Sona

Iqbal said he was happy with the President’s mention of the Bangsamoro in his Sona.

“What is good, on the positive note, is that we saw that the peace process is still on the optic lens of the President and the administration,” Iqbal said.

The two panels have already settled two important issues among the contentious issues raised in the revisions made by the Malacañang review team, according to government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer. In a statement, she said they had “made progress on two important articles pertaining to fiscal autonomy and the structure of the Bangsamoro government.” -- Nikko Dizon / Philippine Daily Inquirer