Bangsamoro law should be consistent with gov’t-MILF peace deal –Palace

Malacañang on Friday urged Congress to pass a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that is consistent with the peace agreement signed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said this in reaction to the MILF’s statement that the decommissioning of arms will not push through if a watered-down BBL is passed.

Both the Senate and House of Representatives are still deliberating on their respective versions of the Malacañang-drafted law.

“The relationship between the normalization process and the passage of the BBL is clear in the CAB,” Valte said, referring to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

The BBL is the legal document operationalizing the CAB, which is the final peace accord signed between the government and the MILF on March 27, 2014.

“That is why we are working hard on the passage of the BBL that is consistent with the CAB,” Valte said. “We are confident that Congress understands the importance of this.”

The decommissioning of MILF forces and weapons is provided for under the security aspect of the Annex on Normalization.

The security aspect also includes policing, redeployment of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from or within conflict-affected areas, and the disbandment of private armed groups.

Under the peace agreement, there will be four phases of the decommissioning process, the first of which was a ceremonial turnover concluded last June.

The second phase, which involves the decommissioning of 30 percent of MILF firearms, will happen after the ratification of the BBL.

Another 35 percent will be turned over the Bangsamoro government have been established, while the remaining 35 percent will be decommissioned once the exit agreement is signed. —KBK, GMA News