“I asked Secretary Ging Deles, yes, merong invitation to the MNLF [pero] wala pa kaming final list ng kung sino [ang pupunta],” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a press conference.
Last week, Deles announced that the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will sign the final peace agreement on March 27.
The MNLF, however, claims it was excluded from the talks, and that this CAB abrogates the 1996 peace agreement it signed with the government in Jakarta.
The Palace has denied MNLF’s claim and asked the the group to give the framework deal a chance.
Signing
In a statement on Friday, government peace panel chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the CAB signing “seals the partnership for peace and prosperity between the government and the MILF.”
“This partnership is based on our shared aspiration to heal the wounds of conflict, enable meaningful autonomy for the Bangsamoro, and nurture peace and development in Muslim Mindanao,” she said.
Ferrer said the CAB “brings together” all the major agreements signed by the parties in the course of the 17-year negotiations.
She said the most important parts are the framework agreement and the four Annexes, which will pave the way for the creation of the new Bangsamoro political entity.
Lacierda said they expect more than a thousand guests to witness the signing of the comprehensive agreement at the Palace.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said Ferrer and MILF panel chair Mohagher Iqbal will sign the CAB with Malaysian Third Party Facilitator Tengku Dato’ Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed signing as witness.
On the other hand, Deles, President Benigno Aquino III, and MILF chief Al Haj Murad Ebrahim will deliver their messages before attendees coming from the international community and various sectors.
Lacierda said they also invited Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to the event but that he has yet to confirm.
Bangsamoro Basic Law
The comprehensive agreement serves as the basis for the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) being drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.
“We are hoping that they would be able to finalize everything by March or by April,” said Lacierda, after which the draft will be submitted to the Office of the President for approval.
Once approved, it will be submitted to Congress and certified urgent by the President – all of which the Palace hopes to happen within the year.
“We certainly would hope that the House and the Senate, realizing how important and how vital this particular peace agreement is to the development in Mindanao, would support [it],” said the Palace official.
After it [BBL] is passed, a plebiscite will then be held at the areas identified in the agreement. — LBG, GMA News
