Moro women celebrate the signing in March of the peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (File photo by Vincent Go)
The Philippine government and the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front have announced that after 10 days of talks in Davao City, they have resolved contentious issues surrounding a peace deal signed in March.
The government and rebel peace panels ended the marathon session on Sunday, hoping that their proposed law that will create an autonomous region in Mindanao will pass legal scrutiny.
"We were able to see light at the end of the tunnel," said Miriam Coronel Ferrer, the government's chief negotiator. "We were able to iron out and clean up some of the provisions [of the proposed law]."
Mohagher Iqbal, chief of the rebel negotiators, said the meeting "covered substantial ground ... and we were able to overcome the obstacles".
"The panels have reached agreement on substantial portions of the document, and have developed a shared understanding of the remaining challenges and unsettled issues," said a joint statement of the peace panels.
The peace negotiators said a revised draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which will govern a new Mindanao political entity, will be submitted to President Benigno Aquino by August 18.
Two of the contentious issues discussed during the 10-day meeting were wealth-sharing and the transitory provision of the draft law.
The transitory provision defines the structure of the Bangsamoro government. Ferrer said that details on the powers of the government, the intergovernmental functions, and how the central government will relate to the autonomous government "must be put in place and be agreed upon".
On the issue of wealth-sharing, the proposed formula is for the central government to give the autonomous government an "annual block grant".
Ferrer said they are still trying to come up with a "just, practical, and feasible formula" on the amount.
The block grant is comparable to the internal revenue share given to local government units that comes from national revenue collections.
Ferrer said the draft law is "already almost acceptable to both parties", adding that both parties are "only trying to resolve certain provisions".
Iqbal, meanwhile, said the rebel group is not backing out of the peace deal. "The only option is peace, so that’s why we are pouring everything here so that peace would be possible," he said.
In their joint statement, the negotiators said they invited experts and organizations to help hammer out the remaining issues in the draft law.
"Discussions took place in plenary as well as in small groups focused on addressing specific issues such as fiscal autonomy and administration of justice," they said.
The peace agreement was signed on March 27 after more than 17 years of negotiations between the government and rebels.