NEWS UPDATE
October 17, 2012 (Wednesday)
US Hails Peace Deal
Gov’t, MILF Praised For ‘Unwavering Commitment To Better Future’
Manila Bulletin, page 1
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States Monday welcomed a peace deal between Muslim rebels and the Philippine government to end a four-decades-old insurgency, saying it was another step towards ending insurrection.
“We commend the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front leadership for their hard work and unwavering commitment to a better future, as well as Malaysia for its longstanding role as facilitator of the negotiations,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
“Today’s ceremony marks another step toward ending insurrection and restoring good governance.
“The United States will continue to work with the international community, regional stakeholders and the people of the Philippines to promote transparency, governance, economic growth and development to achieve a better future.”
President Benigno S. Aquino III and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief Murad Ebrahim witnessed the signing of the accord, which aims for a final peace pact by 2016, in a ceremony at the presidential palace in Manila.
Under the plan, the 12,000-strong MILF would give up its quest for an independent homeland in the southern region of Mindanao in return for significant power and wealth-sharing in a new
autonomous region there.
However the MILF’s leadership, the government and independent observers have all warned the path towards peace remains littered with obstacles, and that Monday’s signing does not guarantee an end to the conflict.
Muslim rebel groups have been fighting since the 1970s for full independence or autonomy in Mindanao, which they consider to be their ancestral homeland from before Spanish Christian colonization of the country began in the 1500s.
The World Bank and other foreign nations that have been supporting peace and development in Mindanao for many years likewise welcomed Monday’s signing of the Framework Agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF.
In a statement, the World Bank--together with other international development partners--gave its assurance that it stands ready to work with both parties and other sectors of Philippine society to intensify “our efforts to improve the lives of many Filipinos, particularly the poor in Mindanao, and help build the momentum for lasting peace and inclusive growth.”
Still, the World Bank stressed that “much work remains to be done to turn the Framework Agreement into a final Peace Agreement and, more importantly, to translate it into security and prosperity for the people of Mindanao, particularly the Bangsamoro.”
Canada’s Ambassador to the Philippines Christopher Thornley also welcomed the signing of the Framework Agreement “and the initiation of a process aimed at lasting peace, governance and prosperity in Mindanao.”
“The diligent efforts of all sides, particularly the Government of the Philippines, bring the dawning of a new era of opportunities for the people of Mindanao, the people of the Philippines, and partners in the surrounding region,” said Ambassador Thornley in a statement.
“Canada extends its best wishes to the members of the Transition Commission as they begin their work in developing the legal framework for the establishment of the Bangsamoro, and the full implementation of the agreement.”
Also, the British government has extended its congratulations to the Philippines on the historic signing of the Framework Agreement with the MILF.
In a statement, British Embassy in Manila Chargé D ‘Affaires Trevor Lewis, who attended the
ceremony, said the signing “marks the beginning of a new era for Mindanao and the Philippines as a whole.”
“The messages of support for the agreement over the last week and the diverse mix of
representatives at the signing in Malacañang underline the widespread commitment to a more peaceful and prosperous future,” Lewis said. “The road to full implementation will not be without difficulty. But the strong levels of support the Agreement has attracted will help the process get off to the best possible start.” (With a report from Roy Mabasa)
MNLF Seen Keeping OIC Observer Status
By EDD K. USMAN Manila Bulletin, page 1
MANILA, Philippines --- Even with the signing of the Framework Agreement (FA) between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Monday, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is expected to keep its observer status in the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
This is because the OIC at the height of the conflict in Mindanao in the late 1970’s had granted the MNLF an “unprecedented” and “permanent” observer seat.
Dr. Abdurahman Amin, MNLF liaison officer to the OIC and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), said the OIC recognized the MNLF as the “sole legitimate representative of the Bangsamoro people”
about two years after the signing of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.
On the other hand, a source from the local diplomatic corps noted that the MNLF has a “permanent”
observer status with the OIC.
There are new rules adopted by the OIC in granting observer status, he said.
“With the new rules there is no chance for other non-state groups, including Moro groups, like the MILF, to be admitted as observer anymore, because the new rule for granting the observer status requires that an applicant is a state,” the source, a veteran of OIC affairs who asked for anonymity, told the Manila Bulletin.
He said it used to be that the old rules for observer status accepted non-state actors.
It could be reiterated that the OIC still recognizes MNLF founding Chairman Nur Misuari as the group’s chairman.
At present, the MNLF has at least two groups, each claiming to be the “mainstream.”
These are the groups led by Misuari and the other chaired by Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin G.
Sema.
Habib Mujahab Hashim, former head of the Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA), heads the MNLF-Islamic Command Council (MNLF-ICC).
The MNLF-ICC has another group under Commander Diego of Marawi City.
Alvarez Isnaji, former acting governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) also leads another MNLF group.
As a result of this, the OIC has devised a way, using the Jeddah Formula,” so that every MNLF group will be represented in meetings under the pan-Islamic body’s auspices.
The “Jeddah Formula” came about during the first main tripartite meeting in Saudi Arabia for the review of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) signed by the MNLF and the government.
Every MNLF bloc was represented in the meeting, hence, the Jeddah Formula.
Meanwhile, government peace panel negotiator Marvic Leonen called on Congress yesterday to come up and adopt a resolution expressing its solid support to the Transition Commission that would draft the Bangsamoro law towards the fulfillment of lasting peace in Mindanao after four decades- long insurgency in the region.
He made the call at yesterday’s joint committee hearing of the House committees on peace, reconciliation and unity; Muslim affairs and Mindanao affairs.
“We ask this House to adopt a congressional resolution supporting the work of the transition commission and the entire peace process,” Leonen told the hearing, jointly chaired by Reps. Jesus Sacdalan (North Cotabato), Arnulfo Go (Sultan Kudarat) and Tupay Loong (Sulu).
“We are hoping that it will be passed this 15th Congress since we signed the framework agreement during this time,” he said.
Responding to Leonen, Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III assured that the House would immediately flex its muscles to pass the resolution.
“I can see that it would be passed before our December break, faster than the FOI (bill),” he said.
Iloilo Rep. Jerry Trenas filed yesterday House Resolution 2837 expressing the strong support of the House for the framework agreement.
Leonen said they did not expect the Congress to pass the Bangsamoro Basic law this year, but next 16th Congress.
“I know all of you will be here,” he said asking lawmakers to rally behind the formation of a 15-man Commission, which would draft a proposed law for the Bangsamoro that would be scrutinized by Congress and approved in a referendum.
He even disclosed that they are targeting to conclude the negotiations on the final peace agreement
“by the end of the year.”
“Once the Bangasamoro Basic Law has been crafted, we will sign a negotiating exit document, hopefully by the end of the year. After the exit document, we will only exist for the purpose of trouble shooting, maintaining communication lines. We want to complete everything by the end of the year,” the former UP dean said.
Leonen also assured the three House panels that they cautiously negotiate the “normalization component” of the agreement, which provides for the gradual transfer of law enforcement from the military to a reformed police and the “decommissioning” of the MILF forces.
“The army is working with the MILF to be able to stabilize the area. Both parties agreed that there should be a reduction and control of the proliferation of arms in the area, that the MILF want to be decommissioned in a gradual manner,” he said.
“In our observation, even in the peace process of other countries, policing is normally the most difficult thing to negotiate. Our principals instructed us that the army and the police should never leave a security vacuum in place,” he stressed.
He said they got commitment from the MILF that it would adhere to the ceasefire and would assist the military to hunt lawless elements, including the terrorists.
Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles expressed optimism yesterday that the level of trust between the government and the MILF is strong enough to withstand trials in the implementation of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
In a statement, Deles said new and more positive narratives of hope and peace are expected to flourish in Mindanao because finally, a mutually agreed upon road map for peace is in place.
Deles, at the same time, pointed out a sea of change in the number of Filipinos who have expressed support for the Framework Agreement. The long-time peace advocate noted that this was the first time she witnessed such a broad and overwhelming support for the signing of the Framework Agreement.
“Today, a child will grow up in our generation embracing the identity of the Bangsamoro and grow up with pride in a political, cultural and geographic identity respected in the four corners of the world,” Deles said.
The Presidential Peace Adviser also hailed the role of President Aquino in encouraging the GPH and MILF peace negotiating panels to come into an agreement.
Deles also recognized the various roles of the media, including social media; civil society groups, and the international community throughout the peace negotiations.
She also mentioned the offer of US-based singer Apl.de.ap, one of OPAPP’s peace ambassadors, who expressed willingness to build a school and donate books to Bangsamoro children.
Deles described the work of the Malaysian facilitator Tengku Dato’ Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed as an “editor-in-chief” who aligned the different paragraphs offered by both panels on a single page.
“He once said that both panels were on the same page but looking at different paragraphs. He was editor-in-chief who aligned the paragraphs on the page,” Deles said.
Shortly after Philippine government and MILF officials signed Monday their initial peace accord, state-run organizations received marching orders to intensify campaigns that would elicit public support to what President Aquino described as “more challenging” efforts towards a final agreement.
At Monday’s signing rites in Malacanang, the President openly asked the five governors of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) led by ARMM caretaker-Governor Mujiv Hataman to do their share in pursuing efforts that would redound to the transformation of the initial accord to a final compact peace agreement.
“I am now saying thank you in advance for the lot of works ahead of us,” Aquino said in his keynote address, referring specifically to Hataman and governors Mamintal Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur, Esmael Mangudadatu of Maguindanao, Jum Akbar of Basilan, Sadikul Sahali of Tawi-Tawi and Sakur Tan of Sulu.
The President also asked the governors of the neighboring provinces of Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani and Davao del Norte to complement the efforts of their counterparts in the ARMM, the region that would be replaced by the Bangsamoro entity. (With reports from Charissa M. Luci, Francis T. Wakefield and Ali G. Macabalang)
Aquino Approves Hike In Gov’t Fees
By GENALYN D. KABILING Manila Bulletin, page 1
MANILA, Philippines --- President Benigno S. Aquino III has authorized the rationalization of the rates of government fees and other charges to provide efficient public service.
In signing Administrative Order No. 31, the President allowed state agencies, including government owned and controlled corporations, to raise existing fees and impose new charges if necessary.
“The rates of fees and charges collected must be just and reasonable to enable the government to effectively provide services without straining the National Government’s resources,” the order read.
“Equity requires that persons receiving or benefiting from rendered services share the cost of providing such services,” it added.
The President reminded government agencies that there should be “a balance between recovering the costs of services rendered and the socio-economic impact of their imposition” in determining the rates and imposition of new fees and charges.
AO 31 assigned the Task Force on Fees and Charges, formed back in 1996, to monitor compliance of the concerned agencies.
The President also directed the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to craft the rules and regulations to implement and monitor compliance of the rationalization of government fees.
“The rules and regulations shall provide the parameters for determining just and reasonable rates, as well as safeguards to protect the public from unreasonable and arbitrary fees and charges,” the order read.
AO 31 took effect after being signed by the President last October 1. (Genalyn D.
Drilon Takes Over Post Vacated By Recto
By HANNAH L. TORREGOZA Manila Bulletin, page 1
MANILA, Philippines --- Sen. Franklin Drilon is now taking the helm of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
After more than an hour of tackling “pressing matters” in an all-senators’ caucus yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III announced the decision of the upper chamber on the resignation of Sen. Ralph Recto who resigned as chair of the committee after drawing flak for a “watered-down”
version of a sin tax bill.
“With much regret, we take note, we place on record, the resignation of Sen. Ralph Recto, the
chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, and in consonance with the Senate rules, we designate the vice chairman, Sen. Franklin Drilon as acting chairman of the committee,” Sotto said.
Prior to the caucus, Drilon, who also chairs the Senate Finance Committee, told reporters of at least three possible scenarios that may occur as the upper chamber deliberates Recto’s resignation.
Recto, he said, might change his mind about the irrevocable resignation. And if he does not, Drilon said that would leave the Senate two choices: either to designate the vice chairman as the acting chairman in the meantime that no regular chairman has been elected, or a new chairman can be elected.
Drilon said he intends to take up where Recto left off by using the committee report he submitted and allow its provisions deliberated on the floor.
“The (Recto) committee report can stand. It can be the basis for the debates. In the period of amendments, the amendments can be introduced,” he said.
“In fact, if you look at the report, I indicated in my signature that I will amend because my agreement with Senator Recto is that even if I did not agree with his conclusion and his rates, we agreed that the vice chairman of the committee will submit to the floor the amendments at the appropriate time,” he said.
“As Senator Francis Escudero pointed out yesterday (Monday), the withdrawal of the report would need the concurrence of the committee or the plenary. I think the public interest will dictate that we maintain the committee report, and we debate on it and at the appropriate time, we submit the amendments. We do not have to start from scratch.
Drilon said he is eyeing a sin tax version that is closer to the P60-billion tax measure proposed by the Executive department.
Drilon said he would try to pass the sin tax bill before it starts deliberations on the 2013 proposed national budget in November.
But if worse comes to worst, the Senate may extend its timetable to January, “if left with no choice.”
“Our target (Sin Tax bill’s passage) is mid-November, but if worse comes to worst, we can extend it a bit. We will try to get it in November; but if not, we have no choice,” Drilon told reporters in an interview.
Meanwhile, Malacañang denied yesterday any hand in the resignation of Recto as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
“The decision to resign by Senator Recto is his own prerogative, we didn’t have any hand there,” said Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda in a press briefing yesterday.
“Based on the news accounts, there was a loud protest from the public regarding the Senate committee report but we leave it with Senator Recto,” he said.
Lacierda said the Executive branch could have agreed on the House version of the said measure but Recto’s version was way too low. The administration’s version targeted P60 billion in revenues while the House version was at P31 billion. Recto’s version was only pegged at P15 billion in revenues from the sin tax reform measure.
“If you remember the House measure, there was compromise on the sin tax measure from the
House, so we agreed on the lower measure, pero itong nangyari sa Senado, medyo mababa talaga, it would not adequately fund,” he said.
He also said the Palace respects the legislative process. (With a report from Madel R. Sabater)
French PM Set For Historic Philippine Visit
By ROY C. MABASA Manila Bulletin, page 1
MANILA, Philippines --- French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is scheduled to undertake a historic official visit to the Philippines on October 19-21, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Tuesday.
It will be the first-ever visit of a French leader to the Philippines since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1947.
According to the DFA, Prime Minister Ayrault’s visit “does not only represent a milestone event in Philippine-French relations.”
“More importantly, it sends a strong signal that France has taken serious notice of the positive developments in the country, and is ready to earnestly engage the Philippines as a vibrant and dynamic partner,” it said.
Ayrault was appointed as Prime Minister of France, replacing François Fillon, following François Hollande’s victory in the 2012 presidential election.
He will be accompanied by a 130-member delegation, comprised of Ministers, parliamentarians and businessmen, during his three-day visit which will be highlighted by a meeting in Malacañang with President Benigno S. Aquino III.
The DFA said both leaders are expected to exchange views on moving bilateral relations forward, as well as on regional and multilateral issues.
The visit will also affirm the heightening exchanges of the two countries in the area of cultural cooperation with the signing of an Agreement on the holding of the Grand Exhibition “Philippines-- Art of Exchange” at the Musée du Quai Branly, the premier museum in France for indigenous art and culture, from April 9 to July 21, 2013 in Paris.
The Exhibition will put the Philippines in the cultural map of France and is expected to attract thousands of French, European, and international visitors, as well as generate wide media exposure.
Side events will be organized during the Exhibition to include workshops on Philippine cuisine, Philippine dances, Philippine musical instruments, and others.
Ayrault will end his visit in Cebu where he will witness a presentation on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, which will be partly financed by the Agence Francaise du Developpement (AFD), the French government’s development cooperation arm.
AFD has been supportive of Aquino administration’s development priorities particularly in the areas of climate change, green infrastructures, sustainable urban development and services including transport, water supply and sanitation, agro-forestry and biodiversity protection, and capacity building for local government units.
The DFA pointed out that relations between the two countries have steadily progressed through the years, highlighted by the visit to France of the late President Corazon C. Aquino in July 1989 as Chief Guest during the bicentennial of the French Revolution.
France was one of the first countries to recognize the government of former President Aquino at the height of the 1986 People Power Revolution.
Economic relations between the two countries are strong and steadily growing, according to the DFA.
Total bilateral trade amounted to $1.143 billion in 2011. At the same time, French investments in the Philippines registered a significant increase in 2011 with total approved investments of P1.145 billion, up by 90 percent compared to the previous year.
French companies, such as LaFarge, TOTAL, AXA, and Alcatel, have strong presence in the country and have committed to increase their investments in the coming years. Leading global companies, such as RATP Dev and Thales, have likewise expressed interest to participate in the bidding for flagship projects under the government’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program.
“Lending strength to the ties that bind both countries is a vibrant people-to-people exchange, marked by the strong presence of approximately 50,000 Filipinos in France and about 4,000 French nationals in the Philippines,” the DFA further emphasized as it noted that most Filipinos in France are engaged in the services sector and skilled professionals.
In 2011, Filipinos in France remitted a total of $51.3 million.
Through the theme “Enhancing Philippine-French relations through political, economic and cultural cooperation,” the DFA expressed confidence that the visit of Prime Minister Ayrault will infuse renewed dynamism to our bilateral ties and propel our partnership to greater heights,” the department added.
To further enhance economic cooperation between the two countries, a Philippine-French Business Forum will be held on October 20.
The DFA said the Forum will serve as a venue for the Prime Minister Ayrault’s accompanying delegation of key French businessmen to have a first-hand look at the strength of the Philippine economy, and the bright opportunities for doing business in the Philippines.
During the Forum, several business contracts will be signed and announced.
The members of the French business delegation represent global players in various sectors like energy, aviation and aeronautics, transportation, infrastructures, electronics, healthcare and environment, said the DFA.
Brillantes says Comelec is not favoring anybody
By GENALYN D. KABILING and LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO Manila Bulletin.net
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Palace is leaving to the wisdom of the
Commission on Election to determine which of the party list organizations are qualified to join the May 2013 elections.
“We leave everything up with the COMELEC. There are rules as a guide for them whether to disqualify a party list or to continue being a party list,” he said.
Some left-wing groups have called for the disqualification of the Palace-backed Akbayan from the party list polls next year because it can field national candidates in the elections. Critics of Akbayan also claimed the group does not represent the marginalized sector as some of its members already hold key positions in government.
Former Akbayan party list Rep. Risa Hontiveros is running for senator next year under the administration banner.
Using the same argument, Lacierda said Bayan Muna should also be disqualified in next year’s elections.
“If that’s the case so should Bayan Muna because Teddy Casiño is running as a senatorial candidate,”
Lacierda said in a Palace press briefing. “What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander.
That‘s the reasoning that they‘re going to say,” he added.
On calls to disqualify Black and White Movement, another Palace-friendly group eyeing the party list elections, Lacierda said he has a personal preference on the matter but would no longer comment.
Prior to his stint in government, Lacierda is a member of the Black and White Movement.
“I know what Black and White stands for. I believe in the principles that it stands for. But, with respect to whether it should be disqualified or not, there are rules that COMELEC will apply and we will respect that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes assured partylist groups - both existing and new applicants -of their objectivity in their ongoing purge of the party list groups.
“We are not favoring anybody.”
“When the final listing comes out, they will realize that we are not favoring anybody. Ang dami namang matatanggal talaga e,” he said.
Brillantes’ assurance came amid the fears expressed by several groups, particularly rivals of the Akbayan party-list that Comelec would eventually approve the participation of the group despite a disqualification case filed against them.
To recall, the National Union of Students of the Philippines, Anakbayan and other youth groups, said Akbayan had ceased to represent the marginalized sector and should be disqualified from the elections.
Their petition cited the appointment of several Akbayan members to government posts as proof that they are no longer marginalized and underrepresented.
Akbayan nominated Hontiveros to run under the Senate slate of Liberal Party (LP).
Other Akbayan members in government are Presidential Political Adviser Ronald Llamas, National Anti-Poverty Commission Chair Joel Rocamora, Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Loretta Rosales, Government Service Insurance System board member Mario Aguja, Palace Undersecretary for Political Affairs Ibarra Gutierrez III, and Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor
Commissioner Angelina Ludovice-Katoh.
Asked on the status of the Akbayan case, the poll chief said it remains under study.
“We have not voted on it yet. We are still deliberating on the case. That is why it remains under study,” said Brillantes.
President Names New PDEA Chief
By GENALYN D. KABILING Manila Bulletin.net
President Benigno S. Aquino III has appointed retired police officer Arturo Cacdac Jr. as the new head
of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) following the resignation of Director General Jose Gutierrez.
Cacdac, who retired as the police force's No.2 man last September, has taken his oath as new PDEA director general before Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. yesterday in the Palace, according to Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Abigail Valte.
"We confirm that Jose S. Gutierrez Jr. has resigned as Director General of PDEA. We further confirm that the President has appointed Arturo G. Cacdac Jr. to the post," Valte said. "We have no further details," she added.
The appointment paper of Cacdac was signed by the President last October 11.
However, PDEA Media Affairs chief Director Derrick Carreon yesterday said Gutierrez has not resigned from his post.
“Gutierrez remains the director general of the PDEA,” said Carreon. Gutierrez could not be reached for comment.
The Media Affairs chief said that he had talked with Gutierrez who clarified that he has not handed over resignation letter.
Still, Carreon assured that Gutierrez will step down from his post willingly.
“Gutierrez will respect the decision of the President. He is ready for it,” said Carreon. (With a report from Jeffrey Damicog)
Cacdac, in a media interview, thanked the President for the appointment to PDEA and pledged to intensify the campaign against illegal drugs in the country.
"It is an huge honor to be trusted by the President," he said, adding he intends to do his best to fulfill his duty as PDEA director general.
Cacdac said he has sought an assessment of the present situation of PDEA and will coordinate with concerned government agencies in the anti-drugs effort.
Cacdac served as police deputy director general for administration prior to his retirement. He is a member of Philippine Military Academy class of 1978. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)
Senate sin tax bill in limbo
Drilon takes over Recto’s committee By Cathy C. Yamsuan
Philippine Daily Inquirer, page 1
The so-called Recto report that proposes additional taxes for tobacco and liquor products drastically lower than what Malacañang wants is now in limbo.
Senator Franklin Drilon, acting chairman of the Senate ways and means committee, will call a meeting of panel members on Wednesday to decide whether the report will be retained or brought back to the committee.
Sen. Ralph Recto resigned as committee chairman on Monday after complaining that his effort to sponsor the bill imposing an additional P15 billion “sin tax” on alcohol and tobacco products failed to get the support it needed from officials of the health and finance departments.
Recto alluded to Health Secretary Enrique Ona, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares during a privilege speech announcing his resignation.
The officials expressed disappointment over Recto’s committee report the day after his sponsorship speech. They said they had expected Recto to present a report that adhered to Malacañang’s
proposal to raise P60 billion.
Supporters of Malacañang’s proposal said higher sin tax rates would not only reduce deaths from diseases due to tobacco and liquor consumption, but also generate more funds for the government’s health program.
Resignation accepted
Senate Majority Leader Tito Sotto announced the chamber’s decision to accept Recto’s irrevocable resignation as ways and means chairman immediately after a caucus Tuesday afternoon.
Drilon as vice chairman was designated acting chairman after the caucus.
Committee members expected to attend the meeting Drilon called for on Wednesday include Senators Francis Pangilinan, Teofisto Guingona III, Sergio Osmeña III, Francis Escudero, Gregorio Honasan, Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Ramon Revilla Jr., Antonio Trillanes IV, Manuel Villar, Edgardo Angara, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Joker Arroyo and Pia Cayetano.
Committee or plenary
First on the agenda is whether to let the committee report stay as Recto had presented it during the plenary session last week, according to Drilon.
“If it stays in the plenary, it becomes the basis for the debates,” Drilon told the Inquirer in an interview after the caucus.
“If the decision of the (members) is to recommit it to the committee, then the report is withdrawn from the plenary and the committee will determine whether to refile the report as is or have a new report,” the acting ways and means chairman added.
“To recommit means you take it out of the agenda of the plenary,” he further explained.
No more hearings
Drilon said there was no more need to conduct additional hearings as those conducted by Recto
“were enough already.”
Before the caucus, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Drilon offered two conflicting proposals on how to go about the sin tax bill after Recto stepped down.
Drilon said whoever was appointed acting chairman in Recto’s place would continue to sponsor the bill on the floor despite Recto’s announcement that he was withdrawing it from the plenary for lack of support from its proponents from the executive branch.
Drilon cited the opinion volunteered by Escudero that the withdrawal of a committee report would need the concurrence of all committee members or the plenary where it was presented when the chairman delivered his sponsorship speech.
After Recto announced his resignation, Escudero told the plenary that a committee chairman could not submit a committee report on his own since he would need the signature of the majority of the members of the committee before doing so.
This means the withdrawal of a committee report “also cannot be done by the chair on his own, and would either necessitate the majority vote of the committee members at the very least or by plenary,” Escudero added.
Drilon invoked public interest in discussing the same report, saying that senators can debate on its provisions and introduce amendments, specifically those that would bring more revenues.
Personal stand
Drilon said his “personal stand” would be an annual revenue collection “closer to P60 billion” that proponents from Malacañang had sought.
The senator said the government’s current PhilHealth insurance budget this year, for example, was only P12.5 billion.
“We would need at least P12.5 billion more for the 5 million new enrollees,” he said.
“Senator Recto’s replacement would not start from scratch. The Senate can eventually adopt a higher revenue target. That’s always a possibility given the period of amendments. Even if the senator has not resigned, the committee report is still subject to amendments on the floor,” Drilon explained.
Not so, Enrile countered.
Since Recto resigned because Malacañang officials concerned with taxation were displeased with his report, “we have not improved the situation if the new chair adopts (his) report,” the Senate
President said.
Asked if the ways and means committee would like to start from scratch and hold a new round of
hearings, Enrile said: “Yes, in effect. That’s my reading.”
He added that whoever was chosen to chair the committee would “unlikely” continue sponsoring Recto’s report on the floor “because it has become controversial. They (executives in charge of finance and revenues) do not like that version.”
Enrile said that the new chairman would now likely choose between a sin tax bill filed by Senator Santiago that observers said veered close to the revenue targets of Malacañang or another measure proposed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
“Which one will be adopted we do not know. But since there’s an evident desire on the part of the proponents to get the maximum revenue, then logically whoever will take over from Senator Recto will probably adopt the bill of Senator Santiago and that will have to be debated on the floor,” the Senate President said.
Question hour
Enrile and Sotto said separately that it was likely that Purisima and Ona would be invited to a Question Hour so they could personally answer queries from senators about the sin tax bill.
The Senate needs to pass the measure before it tackles the P2-trillion proposed budget for 2013.
Drilon as Senate finance chairman earlier said the chamber needed to pass the sin tax bill since its target revenues had already been factored in the 2013 budget.
The House of Representatives is expected to push for its own version of the sin tax bill when the measure gets tackled in the bicameral conference committee, said its principal author, incoming Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya.
Abaya said it was not yet the end for the House version of the measure, which would hike revenues through reforms in the excise tax on tobacco and alcohol products to about P30 million a year.
He said the House version could be pushed in the bicameral conference committee even though he would no longer be around to do it himself.
He is leaving his post as Cavite representative and House appropriations chairman and moving on to head the Department of Transportation and Communications, now that he has shepherded the 2013 budget through third and final reading in the House.
“I’m sure the House will field a capable panel to fight for our version,” he told reporters.
Not the end
Asked if he was disappointed at the Senate version, he said there was still the bicameral conference committee, which is where the final version of proposed laws are crafted before being ratified by both chambers of Congress.
“I’m sure a more able-bodied person will be there to fight it out. These are all in transition. Not the end still,” he said.
He said he wanted to see reforms in the sin tax bill that would deter people from smoking and drinking. These include the dismantling of annexes in the internal revenue code that shield certain products from higher taxes.—With a report from Leila B. Salaverria
Leyte governor to head DOE; Almendras to Palace
By Michael Lim Ubac, Joey Gabieta Philippine Daily Inquirer, page 1
Leyte Governor Jericho “Icot” Petilla will be named energy secretary, replacing Rene Almendras, in a minor revamp of President Aquino’s two-year-old Cabinet, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad
confirmed on Tuesday.
“A formal announcement will be made soon,” Abad said when reached by phone. He did not provide other details.
Another Malacañang official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the matter, said Almendras would go to the Office of the President (OP), “but a formal designation will be announced when he takes his oath.”
Asked if Almendras would replace Executive Secretary (ES) Paquito Ochoa, the official said: “No. ES Ochoa will stay as ES.”
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda neither confirmed nor denied Petilla’s appointment at a briefing in the Palace. “We have no advice from the Palace yet. Let’s wait for the official
announcement if there’s any,” he said.
Mother spills beans
In Tacloban City, the third-term governor’s mother, Mayor Remedios Petilla of Palo town in Leyte, broke the news of her son’s appointment as energy czar in an interview with the Inquirer on Saturday. She even disclosed that there would be an oath-taking ceremony supposedly on October 21.
“His appointment was hastened when it was known that the (political) coast is now clear,” she said.
The Petillas are political allies of the President.
Petilla, 49, chose not to run for any elective post in the May 13, 2013, elections, contrary to an earlier rumor that he would seek a congressional post in Leyte’s first district.
Reached by the Inquirer, Petilla confirmed that there was an offer for him to join the Cabinet, but said he had yet to receive any appointment paper.
“There are talks but I have to be honest with you that any pronouncement is actually premature because there is no appointment at this point although there were already advanced talks,” he said.
“I serve under the pleasure of the President because he is the appointing authority. It is up to him when he will appoint me. At this point, in the absence of any document, these are all talks,” Petilla said.
The governor said the President had offered him a Cabinet position as early as 2010, but he did not accept it as there were still things he had to do as Leyte governor.
Petilla, who is on his third and last term as governor, was asked by journalists to comment on the matter after he led in the unveiling of a marker at the provincial capitol building for the bronze award the province received from the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the seal of good housekeeping.
Asked if he would accept a Cabinet post, Petilla said he would “most likely” accept the offer from the President, whom he described as a “person full of integrity.”
The governor said he was flattered by the offer, saying the job could be good for Leyte and the rest of the country. “If it will be offered to me, most likely, I will accept the offer … for the good of the people of Leyte and for the people of the country,” he said.
“You know, the position is sensitive because it deals with energy. Anything done now by the secretary and by the DOE will actually affect the power and gas situation 10 years from now,” said Petilla, who obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in management engineering from Ateneo de Manila University.
Mayor Petilla agreed that the appointment of her son as energy secretary would be a big help to the region.
“The position is not just all about energy. It also deals with financial matters, which the governor can handle so well,” she said.
Tesda chief, too
In Manila, Secretary Joel Villanueva, director general of the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (Tesda), has not denied reports that he would also be moved to a different agency.
In a phone interview, Villanueva said he, too, heard the rumor but that he had not yet talked to the President about it.
It was also unclear if Almendras would be moved to the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) to replace Julia Abad, who has long wanted to quit her post and return to the private sector. The graduate of Harvard Kennedy School of Government also wants to relocate to Washington.
The Palace official said the President had yet to decide whether Almendras would become PMS chief or occupy another Cabinet-level position and hold office right at the Palace.
The PMS is the workhorse of the OP, “providing relevant and timely information to the President and helping build and nurture a bureaucracy marked by good governance and leadership by example,”
according to the agency’s website.
Its mandate is to be the “primary government agency responsible for providing technical assistance and advice to the President in exercising overall management of the development process.”
When asked if he would be taking his oath on October 21, Petilla said he learned that it had been reset.
If he assumes the position of energy secretary, he will be replaced by Vice Gov. Mimietta Bagulaya.
Gov’t, MILF panels go back to work
By Michael Lim Ubac, Ryan Rosauro
Philippine Daily Inquirer, page 1
MANILA, Philippines—Although the dividends of peace may have to wait a little longer, the goodwill generated by the signing on Monday of the preliminary agreement for the creation of Bangsamoro continues to fire up both sides as they look forward to the next round of talks to complete the peace process.
The Aquino administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have tentatively set for November the negotiations for the annexes of the comprehensive peace agreement.
Both sides want to finish the talks, which will resume next month in Kuala Lumpur.
“Starting from the announcement of the President of the framework agreement (on October 7), we have seen much goodwill generated. We hope that the goodwill generated by the signing will continue to flourish even as we go through details of the annexes,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in an interview.
“The reality is, we still have three issues to complete negotiations on, namely, wealth-sharing, power-sharing and normalization,” Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, told the Inquirer.
He said that for the MILF, “the framework pact already contains 90 percent” of the peace formula that the parties have committed to firm up.
Iqbal said this was the reason MILF chief Murad Ebrahim had referred to the framework agreement as “the most important document” in the almost 16-year peace negotiations.
Amid the euphoria of the signing of the accord that would set in motion a political solution to end 40 years of hostilities, President Aquino privately met with Ekmeleddin Ishanoglu, secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the world’s second-largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations.
The meeting took place at Malacañang’s Music Room right after the signing of the accord.
Ishanoglu’s presence at the signing signified the Islamic world’s acceptance of the agreement, the Palace said.
Broad acceptance
At a Palace briefing Tuesday, the Inquirer asked whether there was a change in any of the statements issued, thus far, by Ishanoglu after he personally witnessed the “broad-based acceptance” of the deal with the MILF.
“I think the fact that the secretary general arrived to witness the signing and when he was invited he wholeheartedly agreed to witness the event, it’s a signal in and of itself,” Lacierda said, but declined to give details.
The 13-page framework agreement binds the “parties commit to work further on the details of the framework agreement in the context of this document and complete a comprehensive agreement by the end of the year.”
For this year, the government has committed P8.59 billion for the “Transition Investment Support Plan” (TISP), which is on top of the P12.93 billion already allocated through the national budget, the President said on Monday.
Transition budget?
Lacierda said that a whopping P21-billion budget announced by the President was not in any way related to the Transition Commission.
The 15-person Transition Commission—set to be created by Aquino via an executive order—is tasked to draft the basic law that will serve as a blueprint for a law to be passed by Congress legalizing the peace agreement.
Lacierda said that the P21-billion fund, including the P8.59-billion, was earmarked for the present Autnomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as its share of the national budget for 2012.
“(The TISP) will involve projects that can be fast-tracked, for instance, broad-based projects like electrification, seaports, fishing ports, slaughterhouses, day care centers,” he said.
Biazon, Honasan to Misuari: Shut up, give peace a chance
By Gil C. Cabacungan Philippine Daily Inquirer.net
“Shut up.”
Two military officers-turned-lawmakers on Tuesday gave this advice to Nur Misuari after the Moro
leader lashed at a peace framework accord between the Aquino administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that would lead to the establishment of a Bangsamoro autonomous setup in Mindanao.
“I think he (Misuari) should shut up first and wait for the final peace agreement. It’s just a
framework agreement. It will go through a transition committee, through Congress and a plebiscite so Nur will have plenty of time to study it and criticize it then. But not now,” said Muntinlupa Representative Rodolfo Biazon, a former senator and Armed Forces chief of staff.
Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan, who had fought insurgents in Mindanao during his Army years, said: “As a fellow advocate for reforms and good government, let’s give peace a chance and not give up on the peace framework this early.”
Misuari, who led the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) when it signed a peace accord with the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos in 1996, has been the most vocal and distrustful of the framework agreement, which was signed in Malacañang on Monday and witnessed by MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim.
Misuari claimed that Murad was “unpopular” in Mindanao and that the agreement would be a
“recipe for a big, big war” on the island.
‘Warlordism culture’
Biazon said Misuari should do away with his “warlordism culture,” which, he added, had no place on the negotiating table.
“The Muslim community has many leaders and he is not the only one. In fact, he was even expelled by his group (MNLF) from its central committee at one point in the late ’90s. I believe that we should heed the voice of other enlightened Muslim leaders as well,” the congressman said.
Aside from Misuari and his faction, Honasan said peace advocates should also ensure that not only Muslims but also Christians and indigenous peoples would be involved in the Bangsamoro process.
“Peace is an inclusive and not exclusive process as eloquently shown by the late Haydee Yorac, who was our peace negotiator in the National Unification Commission in 1993,” he said.
While he did not agree with Misuari’s knee-jerk opposition to the framework deal, the senator said there was no point in blaming the Moro leader for the failure of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
‘Tres Marias’
In Mindanao, two of the so-called triumvirate of women lawmakers who had vigorously opposed efforts to realign provinces into a Moro territory are now singing a different song.
Former South Cotabato Rep. Luwalhati Antonino, now the head of the Mindanao Development Authority, said that with the signing of the framework agreement, President Aquino “has taken the great effort of achieving just and lasting peace in Mindanao, for the good of the entire nation.”
Antonino, Rep. Daisy Avance-Fuentes and the late Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Ma. Clara Lobregat had formed the “Tres Marias,” which fought the establishment of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) following the MNLF peace agreement. The SPCPD covered 16 provinces, including Palawan.
Antonino said her support for the government-MILF accord was brought about by transparency on the side of the negotiators, unlike the 1996 agreement.
“With unity and understanding, we can achieve our shared vision for Bangsamoro and for Mindanao,” she said.
Fuentes said that in 1996 and 2008, she had joined calls to block the implementation of previous deals because these would not have solved the peace and security issues in Mindanao.
“To be fair, the Aquino administration consulted us before the framework agreement was signed,”
Fuentes said.—With reports from Allan Nawal and Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao
French PM arriving Friday
By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer, page 7
MANILA, Philippines–French Prime Minister Jean Marc Ayrault is set to arrive on Friday, a historic first official visit by a top French leader since Manila and Paris established diplomatic ties 65 years ago.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that Ayrault will arrive in Manila with a 130-member
delegation, including ministers, Members of Parliament and businessmen, for a three-day visit.
“Prime Minister Ayrault’s visit does not only represent a milestone event in Philippine-French relations. More importantly, it sends a strong signal that France has taken serious notice of the positive developments in the country, and is ready to earnestly engage the Philippines as a vibrant and dynamic partner,” the DFA said in a statement.
The visit “will in infuse renewed dynamism to our bilateral ties and propel our partnership to greater heights,” the DFA said. France was among the first countries to recognize the presidency of the late President Corazon Aquino following the 1986 People Power revolution.
During his stay, Ayrault will meet with President Aquino to discuss bilateral, regional and multilateral issues.
He will also visit Cebu to witness the start of a public transport project partly funded by the French government’s development arm, L‘Agence Française de Développement.
The French leader’s visit is also expected to boost bilateral economic ties between the two countries, as key businessmen from France will get to meet local business leaders at a Philippine-French
Business Forum on Oct. 20.
Signing of peace pact a day of great hope, says Malaysian PM
By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer.net
HISTORIC DEAL Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator (left, first row), shakes hands with his
government counterpart, Marvic Leonen, after signing a preliminary agreement on ending war in the southern Philippines. Standing between them is Malaysian facilitator Ghafar Mohamed. Applauding, from left, are MILF chair Murad Ebrahim, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, President Aquino and Secretary Teresita Deles. LYN RILLON
“On this day of hope and promise, we must not forget the challenges that remain. The ink on this paper will not save a single life unless it is matched with a true and immovable commitment to peace.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak summed up the challenge confronting the administration of President Aquino and leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in remarks at the signing ceremony in Malacañang Monday of a framework agreement for a Bangsamoro.
“If tension arises it must be met with tolerance. All parties must stand by the principles on which this agreement rests: Respect for religion, nonviolence and human rights,” he said. “This is not an
endpoint, but a beginning. There’s still much to be done.”
The leader of the country who brokered the peace talks in Kuala Lumpur offered Malaysia’s assistance to make the agreement work.
“Today is a day of great hope. A day which sees the dawn of a new beginning for the people of Mindanao. A day when we welcome a unified Philippines,” Najib said before a crowd of diplomats, lawmakers and peace advocates at Rizal Hall in Malacañang.
“Out of the darkness comes a new light, albeit with an old name, Bangsamoro,” he added, referring to the autonomous Moro homeland that the framework agreement sought to create.
Unwavering commitment
Najib praised President Aquino, whom he met earlier in the day in a bilateral meeting, for his
“strong, unwavering commitment to a durable peace” in Mindanao, and MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim for his “personal courage for making the choice over conflict.”
He also paid tribute to the negotiators, as well as the member-countries of the international contact group and the international monitoring team observing the ceasefire in Mindanao since 2004.
“This agreement exists because individuals were prepared to raise their eyes and look to a brighter future. Today we pay tribute to the quiet bravery of the negotiator,” Najib said.
The prime minister described the framework agreement as a “firm ground on which a lasting peace”
could be built.
It would protect the rights of the Bangsamoro people, as well as preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Philippines, he said.
Najib said that it was Malaysia’s hope that the agreement would give the Muslims a “homeland”
again. “For Mindanao, there can be no more lost generation,” he said.
While saying that the framework agreement was “historic,” he said it “doesn’t solve all the problems.”
“It sets the parameters in which a lasting peace may be found. I hope all sides continue to recognize their responsibilities in the coming months as they work toward a final peace agreement,” he said.
Partner for peace
“This is a chance to restore dignity to the people of southern Philippines: Those deprived of
humanity by decades of violence. A chance to ensure that the Bangsamoro people would enjoy the dividends of peace which they rightly deserve, and a chance for all sides to prove that peace and moderation are the hallmarks of all religions.”
In view of the immensity of the work that awaits both sides, Najib said Malaysia was ready to help as the Philippines’ partner of peace.
He said Malaysia was willing to offer training and education so the Bangsamoro children could aspire to a future that their parents could only dream of, build institutions and develop land so that former freedom fighters could reap the “harvest of peace.”
“To all the people of the Philippines, we will stand with you to make this agreement work,” he said.
“Today, something has changed. Today we turn our backs on violence, and turn instead toward a new and brighter future,” he said. “It’s my hope that this agreement brings about a new time of moderation.”
Najib said peace in Mindanao was within reach after four decades. “Let’s grasp with both hands and never let go.”
Red carpet welcome
Mr. Aquino officially welcomed Najib to Malacañang ahead of the 1:30 p.m. signing of the Bangsamoro deal, which Najib and a host of foreign delegates witnessed.
Arrival honors, including a 21-gun salute and traditional music by Pangkat Kawayan, greeted the leader of Malaysia. After signing the guestbook, both leaders had a one-on-one meeting at the Music Room before an expanded bilateral meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room.
The President also hosted a luncheon in honor of Najib and his spouse, Rosmah Mansor.
Both leaders agreed that the visit was a “significant milestone” in bilateral relations and “signals a new phase of deeper and more robust ties between the two countries,” said a joint statement issued by the Palace.
“The Malaysian government affirmed its support to the Philippine government’s sustained
socioeconomic programs, which are designed to foster further economic opportunities and jobs in Mindanao,” the joint statement said.
“They also urged Malaysian and other foreign businessmen to consider investing in palm oil, natural rubber, the halal industry, infrastructure and other sectors in the region.” With reports from Michael Lim Ubac and AFP
'We're tired of fighting'
By Delon Porcalla
The Philippine Star, page 1
MANILA, Philippines - Tired of fighting, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) spokesman Mohagher Iqbal said he looks forward to a peaceful life following the signing of the framework peace
agreement with the government last Monday.
“You know, I’ve been in troubled times for 40 years. I want to rest. I’ve been in the negotiation for 14 years. I have been the chairman of the MILF peace panel for 10 years, so I want to rest,” Iqbal said.
Iqbal said there are “clear signs that we are moving toward normalcy in Mindanao.”
“If other people who have not sacrificed a lot want peace, I think the more I want peace because I have been in the struggle. I have spent the best (years) of my life in this struggle, so I want peace right now – an honorable peace,” he said.
Iqbal said the MILF believed in the peace process that they decided to stop fighting the government.
He noted that their late leader, Hashim Salamat, had said that the most civilized and practical way of solving the conflict in Mindanao is through a negotiated political settlement.
“There are no compelling reasons but we have to balance reality and idealism. So the decision was to engage the Philippine government in a negotiation and the result would bear us out in the framework agreement,” he said.
‘Real medicine’
Iqbal described the framework agreement as the “real medicine” that will cure all the illnesses of the Muslim community.
He also predicted that splinter or breakaway groups like the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) of Umbra Kato would soon be a thing of the past.
“When you finally find the real solution or the real medicine, all the sufferings will fade away. BIFF has no legitimacy so they will fade away in due time,” Iqbal said.
Iqbal assured the public and the government that they will not stand in the way of the arrest of BIFF members.
“We have several mechanisms to address the issue. We have the ceasefire committee; we have the international monitoring team, etcetera. We have enough mechanisms to address problems like that,” he said.
‘Decommissioning’ of forces
Government peace negotiators told congressmen during a briefing yesterday that the MILF has agreed to “decommission” its forces.
Chief negotiator Marvic Leonen said that under the framework agreement, the MILF commits itself to “undertake a graduated program for decommissioning its forces so that they are put beyond use.”
Leonen said an independent commission would be “organized by the parties to recommend appropriate policing” within the areas that are proposed to be covered by the new autonomous Muslim region.
The commission will be composed of representatives of the government and the MILF. Local and international experts on law enforcement may be invited to help it in its work, Leonen said.
“In a phased and gradual manner, all law enforcement functions will be transferred from the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the police force for the Bangsamoro,” Leonen said.
He said the two sides agreed to continue negotiations on the form, functions and relationship of the police force of the Bangsamoro, taking into consideration the results of the study of the independent commission.
“There will be no security vacuum in the south at any time,” he said.
When asked to clarify what “decommissioning” of forces means, Leonen refused to go into specifics beyond repeating that MILF forces would be “put beyond use.”
He added it is not sure if all MILF fighters will be integrated into the police force in the proposed Bangsamoro region. “That will be subject to negotiation,” he said.
The MILF is believed to have between 10,000 and 12,000 fighters.
‘Normalization’ process
Leonen said the decomissioning of forces is part of the “normalization” process in Mindanao.
“It is through normalization that communities can return to conditions where they can achieve their desired quality of life, which includes the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods and political participation within a peaceful deliberative society. The aim of normalization is to ensure human security in the Bangsamoro,” he said, quoting the framework agreement.
Leonen said the MILF “never put independence or a separate Muslim state on the table.”
He said the details of other aspects of the agreement, including those on “power-sharing and wealth-sharing,” are still subject to future negotiations.
He said the objective is to finish all talks and come up with the final peace agreement before the end of this year.
‘Agreement for all’
Meanwhile, Leonen and Iqbal said that contrary to the claim of former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari, the entire Muslim community stands to benefit from the framework peace agreement.
“I think it’s a very grand gesture on the part of (MILF) chairman (Al Haj) Murad to actually say that this is an agreement that is not won only by MILF and only for MILF, but it is something that is won for everybody in that particular region,” Leonen said.
“I’m not sure whether they’re (MNLF) going to be marginalized. We have spoken to some leaders of the MNLF and we have conversed with them throughout the entire one and a half years as I was chair,” he said.
Leonen also stressed that MNLF members will be represented in the transition commission.
For his part, Iqbal stressed that they are negotiating for the entire Bangsamoro people, and not just for the MILF.
“And, if you look at the framework agreement, the direct role of the MILF is only in the transition and after that it’s free for all,” the MILF official pointed out, noting that they will only be acting as an instrument of peace in Mindanao.
OIC supports agreement
President Aquino and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu met in Malacañang on Monday after the signing of the framework agreement.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said he does not have the full details of the meeting but said it was “a signal” that the OIC was supportive of the accord.
The OIC, like Malaysia, had been helping the Philippines come up with a peace settlement with Muslim rebels in the south.
“You have seen a broad-based support from the Bangsamoro community and while we are celebrating here in Manila for the signing, there was also a celebratory mood in Camp Darapanan and in various parts of Mindanao,” Lacierda said.
No constitutional amendment
Leonen, a former law dean, said the framework agreement will not require an amendment of the Constitution but a new law that will establish the Bangsamoro autonomous region.
He said the government peace panel also consulted with the MNLF.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said Malacañang would need the
“cooperation of the two chambers of Congress for the peace process to succeed.”
“The framework agreement is a legislative tack. We cannot move forward without the cooperation of Congress,” Deles said.
Leonen said their goal is to pass a new law governing the proposed Bangsamoro autonomous region and the conduct of a plebiscite in the affected areas “within the term of office of President Aquino,”
which ends on June 30, 2016.
He said Aquino would shortly create a transition commission that would draft such law.
Concerns over territory and taxation
During the three-hour briefing with government negotiators, some congressmen expressed concern over the territory of the proposed new autonomous region and its power of taxation.
Camiguin Rep. Pedro Romualdo said he was alarmed by the definition of the region’s territory, which would include the “aerial domain and the atmospheric space above it.”
“Does this mean that PAL (Philippine Airlines) would need the autonomous region’s permit to fly there?” he asked.
Leonen said the government is not “conceding civil aviation to the MILF.”
He said the context of the definition of the region’s territory refers to problems like pollution which, he added, should be more of the concern of Bangsamoro rather than of the national government.
“Reading your framework agreement, my God, frankly, I don’t know. You have to clarify that,”
Romualdo told Leonen.
On the issue of taxation, Leonen said the autonomous region would have the power to impose and collect taxes that are local in nature.
“What are due the national government should go to the national government. What are due the regional or local government should go to them. There will be no double taxation,” he said.
Other congressmen sought assurances that their constituents would no longer be attacked by the so-called MILF “lost commands.”
Leonen said he would raise their concern to the MILF leadership, adding that the MILF has promised to help the military and the police go after lawless elements, including kidnap-for-ransom groups.
Leonen also urged the House to approve a resolution supporting the peace talks with the MILF.
Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada said he would relay the peace panel’s request to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. “I think we can approve such resolution before our Christmas season break in December,” he said.
Investments to flow
The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) said it expects investments to flow in Mindanao with the signing of the framework agreement.
“That (investments to Mindanao) is to be anticipated. Business will go where it sees opportunities,”
ECCP president Michael Raeuber told reporters yesterday.
However, Raeuber said investments are not expected to come in immediately and would depend on the approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law and the infrastructure to be built in the area.
“We hope everyone can live up to the commitments made. We want to believe it will work,” he said.
Mindanao Development Authority chairman Luwalhati Antonino said the signing of the framework agreement “augurs well” for the Bangsamoro business leaders to effectively respond to the opportunities that abound in both domestic and international markets.
Antonino said a series of exchange of business missions and trade exhibits between Mindanao and Malaysian investors had been firmed up for possible forging of investments.
She said more than 50 Mindanao-based companies and exhibitors are taking part in the Business Forum for Mindanao Opportunities in Kuala Lumpur in November and the Brunei Darussalam- Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area and IMT-GT Consumer Fair in Melaka, Malaysia in December this year.
“We have always believed that armed conflict can end through peaceful means, and with this development, we can look forward to achieving unifying peace and inclusive progress for Mindanao, and fulfill the many promises for its people,” she said.
Level of trust
The high level of trust between the government and the MILF is strong enough to withstand trials in the implementation of the framework peace agreement, Deles said.
“Today, a child will grow up in our generation embracing the identity of the Bangsamoro and grow up with pride in a political, cultural and geographic identity respected in the four corners of the world,” she said.
Deles offered the agreement to those whose lives were ravaged by war and conflict in Mindanao.
“And to those who have died without seeing the sunlight of peace – those felled by bullets, and those cut down by hunger because of the ravages of war – we bow our heads in offering you this day,” she said.
Deles lauded President Aquino for being the “moral compass” of the Mindanao peace process.
“For guiding us through the negotiations and for keeping our minds firm and our hearts, buoyant,”
she said.
Antonino shared Deles’ sentiment, saying the President “has shown firmness in taking the moral
high ground of going for all-out justice and peace in addressing armed conflicts in parts of Mindanao.”
Antonino noted that the Aquino administration has “never wavered in its stand that war is never an option, and that peace is a central ingredient to the country’s future and is a path we all must remain firmly committed to achieving.”
“So many challenges await us, but the bridge of trust that spans this room is strong enough to withstand the trials ahead, however difficult they may be,” Deles said.
Deles also acknowledged the role of the media, including social media; civil society groups; and the international community.
Meanwhile, the chief political officer of the MILF cited the contribution of Central Mindanao’s oldest Catholic radio network in helping generate support for resolving the decades-old Southern Moro uprising.
Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF’s vice chairman for political affairs, announced over dxMS in Cotabato City that despite the station’s being owned by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), it shared in the
“struggle” to educate the public on the need to support the peace process.
Jaafar said dxMS also helped in announcing the progress and difficulties in the talks. “We in the MILF are thankful and grateful to station dxMS,” he said. With Jess Diaz, Jose Rodel Clapano, John Unson, Edith Regalado, Louella Desiderio, Aurea Calica
Fighting erupts in North Cotabato
By John Unson
The Philippine Star, page 1
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A 30-minute firefight between unidentified gunmen and militiamen in North Cotabato’s Aleosan town greeted Monday’s signing of the framework agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
There was no report of casualties, but the firefight forced dozens of Muslim and Christian villagers to evacuate on fears of getting trapped in the crossfire.
Col. Prudencio Asto, public affairs chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the heavily armed attackers first surrounded a roadside militia detachment in Barangay Dunguan in Aleosan on Monday night and without warning opened fire with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.
Local officials said the gunmen were overheard talking to each other in ethnic Maguindanaon dialect.
Members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) manning the detachment engaged the bandits in a firefight, triggering panic in surrounding villages.
Asto said Army units in Aleosan and nearby towns have been receiving information that the attack was in retaliation for the death of a notorious leader of a bandit gang, Mustapha Mangileb
Guindalangan.
Guindalangan was killed by soldiers manning a roadside checkpoint in Midsayap town in North Cotabato last week for trying to lob a grenade.
Asto said the 6th ID will ask the government’s ceasefire committee, which deals with the MILF, to investigate Monday night’s firefight in Aleosan.
