Hermogenes Esperon, presidential adviser on the peace process and former Armed Forces chief, expressed optimism that a memorandum of agreement on the issue of ancestral domain will be signed by September between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Esperon made the pronouncement in a briefing with Mindanao stakeholders, including the media, Thursday at the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) office here.
Esperon banked his optimism on the recent movements of the stalled peace process between the two warring parties where the government has presented to the MILF through the Malaysian peace process facilitators, its draft of the counter proposal on the ancestral domain agreement last June 23.
The first proposal was rejected by the MILF, which disagreed with the government’s classification of areas that should be part of the MILF’s ancestral domain.
The MILF a week after June 23 submitted its reply to the government’s draft of the proposed ancestral domain agreement.
“It is possible we could sign something in September. It depends on how fast we are moving,” Esperon said.
The issues on freedom, jurisdiction and control over resources, and on institution and organizational structure of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity are the three contentious issues of the ancestral domain agreement, which were raised in the draft presented by the government to the MILF.
Esperon said the MILF, in its reply, has well received the proposed agreement on jurisdiction and control over resources.
However the contentious issue on governance, which is the institution and organizational structure of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, remains, Esperon said.
A provision in the said proposed draft of government on the issue of governance states that both parties will agree on the “principle of consultation free of any imposition and open new formula to respond to the aspiration of Bangsa Moro for freedom”.
The MILF in its reply to the proposed draft however wants to change the word “freedom” to self-determination, Esperon said.
He further clarified that all the contentious issues will be tackled under the legal framework such as a constitutional process.
“These proposed agreements will be subjected to a discussion with our legal group and later for approval of the president,” Esperon said.
The MILF in its reply also accepted the proposal to subject the upcoming ancestral domain agreement to a constitutional process, Esperon said.
With these developments, Esperon said “there are things we need to prepare next week and give some pronouncements if we can get the approval of the president,” he added.
Although the stalled peace talks has seemingly moved on through back channelling, Esperon did not categorically say when a formal peace talk can resume and more particularly when the two parties arrive on a final general peace agreement.
He however said that the latest development signals that the peace talks will formally resume in the coming days. Although negotiation through back channelling is effective and fast, Esperon is amenable that a formal talk should be applied to minimize the hostilities apparently born out of the MILF’s restiveness following the stalled peace talks.
Esperon downplayed the ongoing hostilities on the ground between government troops and MILF troops with the back channelling efforts that are happening between both parties.
He said the government is following certain guidelines to arrest the hostilities while efforts to go back to the negotiating table are ongoing.
Similar guidelines and mechanisms were followed by government, while it worked for a peace pact with the Moro National Liberation Front, Esperon said.
Meanwhile, Esperon said the International Monitoring Team (IMT) will expire on August 31, this year.
Esperon said the GRP-MILF peace process could continue without the IMT.
Although he said that it would be difficult without the IMT, however there is the joint committee on ceasefire of hostilities (CCH) who is also capable of looking into the violations of ceasefire agreement between the two parties.
He said the CCH has a very strong mechanism and can settle the hostilities from further escalation.
Although the government is currently making some interventions to keep the IMT after some of the countries like Malaysia threatened not to extend its services, government can count on the strength of the CCH, Esperon said.
Rexall Kaalim, team leader of the Mindanao People’s Caucus –Bantay Ceasefire for his part said the resumption of formal peace talks aside from the back channeling efforts is important as the panels could readily impose sanctions on any of the two parties which is in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Kaalim said that based on their observation, most of the provocative hostilities, which means armed movements of assaults are initiated by the MILF.
He however said the MILF has admitted of violating the ceasefire agreement out of their restiveness on the stalled peace process.
He said the people particularly the MILF want the talks to formally resume eliminating the feeling of impatience particularly on the part of the secessionist group.
Kaalim, on the other hand, joined Esperon in saying that peace talks could resume without the IMT for its function can be very well addressed by the CCH.
“Although there is some kind of difficulty in the absence of the IMT since a ceasefire is very important for the talks to continue, I cannot also discount the capabilities of the joint CCH,” Kaalim said.
Kaalim further said that he believes the absence of the IMT will further dilly dally the peace process.
Filed under: Mindanao, Mindanao Muslims, ancestral domain, milf, moro islamic liberation front | Tagged: ancestral domain, davao city, hermogenes esperon, milf, Mindanao
