Palace: Bangsamoro deal 'much bigger' than Sabah issue

A Malacañang official on Tuesday reiterated that the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement entered into by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is on track despite the ongoing crisis in Sabah. “The whole framework agreement together with the annexes has one purpose in mind: to bring about enduring peace in Mindanao. So this is much bigger than the current situation in Sabah right now,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a briefing. The government in October 2012 signed with the MILF the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement, a landmark deal that will pave the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Two annexes to the agreement remain unresolved, pending the resumption of peace talks between the government and the rebel group. “Ang natitira na lang [na] diskusyon dito sa framework agreement—‘yung sa annexes—is, I think, the power-sharing and the normalization. So these are the only two annexes remaining in the discussion,” Lacierda said. The Philippines’ dormant claim to Sabah will not be discussed, he added. “Remember, from the very start, sinabing kinonsulta ang pamilyang Kiram tungkol dito sa peace process. [The issue of Sabah] was not discussed primarily because the Sabah issue is a foreign policy issue and, for that reason, it was referred to the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs),” Lacierda explained. Sabah, reportedly rich in resources, is currently the site of sporadic skirmishes between the followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Malaysian security forces. The government has yet to confirm the official number of fatalities in the conflict, with figures running from 50 to more than 60. Meanwhile, Lacierda again refused to give an expected timetable to the completion of the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement’s annexes, which should be completed before Congress can draft the organic law that will be the foundation of the new Bangsamoro political entity. “We are very hopeful that it will be signed, it will be completed. But, as to the timetable, we will leave that with the respective panels,” Lacierda said. — Patricia Denise Chiu/KBK, GMA News