At a press briefing, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the government remains optimistic that both parties will be able to settle crucial issues currently pending on the negotiating table.
“They will start to thresh out issues that are involved in the last three annexes. We expect the panel itself to give us an update after the talks have been concluded. We remain positive about the negotiations,” Valte said.
She added that technical working groups with representatives from the government and the MILF have already convened in Malaysia to tackle the annexes on wealth- and power-sharing.
On Monday, the 38th round of peace talks between the government and the MILF started in Malaysia. Government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer earlier said that both parties resumed negotiations in a “congenial” tone.
The ongoing talks seek to iron out the annexes of the landmark framework agreement signed by both parties last October creating a Bangsamoro territory that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
‘Sticky issues’
In a statement, Coronel-Ferrer admitted that the annexes on wealth- and power-sharing contain “hard issues” that need to be immediately resolved.
“The items on the table are all hard issues. But what I know is that we all want to solve the problem and that we will jointly, collectively decide on the future of the partnership that was forged with the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro,” the government peace panel chair said.
She added that these annexes will ultimately spell out the “basic rudiments for dignified and harmonious governance” in the proposed Bangsamoro region.
MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, for his part, described the ongoing talks as “the most critical stage of the peace journey.”
“My experience tells me that there are no easy parts of any real life negotiations. For this reason, I know that the road ahead of the current peace talks is still full of humps and bumps, but this is no reason to cause the failure of these talks. Sincere and committed partners in peace process will always find creative formula to get through any differences,” he said in a separate statement.
Iqbal also expressed hopes that both parties will be able to sign the annex on wealth-sharing after this round of talks, which will end on Thursday. — KBK, GMA News
