Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza speaks with former Cotabato mayor and a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Muslimin Sema about a possible merger between the MNLF and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in a meeting at the Apo View Hotel in Davao City on Tuesday, August 9, 2016. KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PPD
DAVAO CITY — Presidential Peace Adviser Sec. Jesus Dureza met with the Moro National Liberation group headed by Muslimin Sema on Tuesday, August 9 as part of a series of meetings to consult all sectors of the Bangsamoro.
The move would be part of the preparation to craft an enabling law that will establish the Bangsamoro governance unit to replace the present Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
Dureza said the Duterte administration is eyeing to pursue a convergence, or consensus, among the various Moro groups for the eventual formation of a Bangsamoro government.
“When we say convergence it is the directive of the President that since we have already the 1990 Peace Agreement with the MNLF and we have already the 2014, (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro) with the MILF, and with the President firmly committing to implement all signed agreements, especially with the Bangsamoro, we have started already to move in that convergence,” Dureza said.
President Rodrigo Duterte approved on July 18 a comprehensive peace road map which will address the Bangsamoro issue and the resumption of the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines through its political wing, the National Democratic Front.
The peace strategy eyes the consolidation of the peace agreements already signed by the government including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Moro National Liberation Front’s 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA), including relevant provisions of the Republic Act No. 9054 (or the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Law) and the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA).
Dureza said Sema’s group committed to converge with any group to “bring about an inclusive Bangsamoro enabling law.”
“There was a very clear commitment of convergence, to converge with any group in order to bring about an inclusive Bangsamoro enabling law. Yun ang pinaka-clear na commitment ng grupo nila (That was the most clear commitment from their group),” he said in a press conference after the meeting.
Dureza said that they will still be talking with MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari, whom they cannot directly talk to yet due to the charges he is facing.
“But we are in touch with him, we’re in touch with his group and we’re making discussions but we need to sit down with him, person to person to discuss this in detail. It will happen as soon as this issue of his facing a warrant of arrest is clear or out of the way,” Dureza said.
He said that all sectors in the Bangsamoro must be represented.
“Because that makes a lot of difference—the opportunity to make it inclusive for everyone must be made available,” he said.
Dureza said that the government envisions an “all-Moro assembly” once they get the commitment of all Bangsamoro groups to come together.
“Because we will leave the matter to the Bangsamoro to determine what they want for themselves in accordance to their very basic aspiration of self determination,” he said.
The government panel and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will be meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 13 to launch the implementation stage of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
Dureza said they will discuss on “how to move forward.” (davaotoday.com)
