Press Release
February 6, 2014

Transcript of the Joint Press Briefing of Senate President Franklin M. Drilon, Senator Teofisto Guingona III, MILF chair Mohagher Igbal
and Sec. Teresita Deles

SP Drilon: This morning we received the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) headed by its chairman, Honorable Mohagher Iqbal and the members of the commission together with the secretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Secretary Teresita Deles, and together we have the chairman of the Committee on Peace and Unification, Senator Guingona. We assured the Office of the President and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission that the Senate is in full support of the peace process and that the Senate is one with the MILF and the Office of the President, and that we believe sustainable peace in Mindanao is critical to the general well-being, both economic and social, of the entire Philippine nation. That is why the Senate has pledged support for the basic law. And so we went to the examination of the timetable, the Transition Commission has imposed a deadline on themselves, and will submit to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Office of the President, the first draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law by March 31, 2014. Then the Office of the President and the OPAPP will discuss it informally with all the sectors involved and we will be awaiting in the Senate the administration version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. We hope that we can have the administration bill when we come back first week of May of 2014.

SP Drilon: We sat down this morning with the leadership of the House, Speaker Belmonte, Majority Leader Gonzales, Minority Leader Zamora together on the Senate part with the Senate President, Senate President Pro-Tempore Senator Recto, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, the Minority Leader Senator Enrile and Senator Tito Sotto. All of us agreed that the enactment of the Bangsamoro Basic Law should be made by the end of this year, of December 2014. That is our target because we want to see 2015 as the year when we can submit this for ratification by areas covered by the Bangsamoro Basic Law. This is our commitment on the part of the Senate. The target date that we want to pursue in both Houses of Congress. With that, maybe I can ask Senator Guingona and afterwards Chairman Icqbal, Secretary Deles to make an opening statement before we open up the press briefing.

Guingona: Thank you Mr. President. We are nearing the fruition of the long awaited peace talks. Kanina tinanong ko si Chairman Iqbal how long have the peace talks been going and he told me 17 years. 17 years of patience, 17 years of hard work. Finally, it will be coming to the Senate, to the House of Representatives. I agree with the Senate President that we must finish the bill by the end of this year so that it can be ratified next year. So, the Senate wishes to express, especially the Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, its full support, wholehearted support, for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

Iqbal: The Senate President and Senator Guingona have already spoken. I have nothing much to add except that we are here, courtesy call to the Senate President, and we told the Senate President that the Bangsamoro Transition Commission is fully committed to craft the Bangsamoro Basic Law and the target is March 31. Although we know that it's not an easy job, especially for people not used to crafting a law like us but we have the determination. For whatever limitations that we have, we are in close relations with the Office of the President, Office of the Speaker of the House and of course the Office of the Senate President and hopefully, I am very sure that whatever problems that would crop up from time to time, especially on the technical aspect, we will be able to overcome them. On the part of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, let me assure everybody that there is no other way except to push that there will be peace not only in Mindanao but the entire Philippines. Everybody will reap the fruits of this peace. I know that with peace in Mindanao, this country can be great. It can be a great country. Finally, we requested the senators again some advices and words of wisdom.

Deles: I just want to first of all express appreciation of the OPAPP to be invited to witness a historic moment in the peace process, the Transition Commission paying a courtesy call to the Senate. We know that the Transition Commission includes representatives from the leadership of the MILF, as well as the other peoples of the Bangsamoro that includes the Christians and the Lumads. This coming together, bringing the mission to the Senate is certainly a historic moment and tells us that the roadmap laid out in the framework agreement on the Bangsamoro is firmly placed. It is moving, it is now here, moved to the arena of Congress with the courtesy call paid last week to the House of Representatives. We are appreciative of the internal targets that have been set by the completion of the law. The OPAP has a continuing, challenging role to play here to ensure that we will have the best possible law for the Bangsamoro by the end of this process. That process of coming up with a law ends here. We cannot underscore how important this moment is and how grateful we are that we are part of this process.

SP Drilon: One final point before we open the floor for question and answer, we emphasize to the Transition Commission that the basic law should be within the four corners of the Constitution. That is the commitment of the President to the people, that there will be no constitutional amendments necessary as a result of the basic law because that is precisely why the freewheels of the peace agreement did not need the approval of the Supreme Court. We are not saying that the Bangsamoro people cannot advocate for Charter Change. What we're just saying is that the basic law is not the avenue through which amendments can be done because Congress in aid of being on the basic law cannot propose amendments of the Constitution. We are limited by the four corners of the Constitution. So, those are some of the parameters that we advise the Transition Commission, they sought our advice on how we expedite the process this process as all of us are in (unclear) that we need, our country needs, our nation needs a basic law to be enacted as soon as possible.

Iqbal: Allow me to quote from the Koran: God does help those who help themselves. While we are committed to the President, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House and all the leaders, we will do our part to making sure that the basic law will be finally passed. We are not leaving any stone unturned in our ways for reaching the people in all sectors of society so that they will understand what the basic law is all about. At the end of the day, when people are well informed of the process about the basic law, what are the contents of the basic law, and we are working on this.

Q: Considering that everything will be accomplished according to schedule, may we be informed as to what takes place in the basic law so that it will not run counter to the Constitution of the Philippines?

Iqbal: So far the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, in our way of moving forward especially in the discussion of the issues and concerns that are related to the Bangsamoro as well as the (unclear) we have not encountered anything that requires amending the Constitution. There is no such thing encountered in our part in drafting the basic law that will require amending the Constitution.

Q: Is there any plan on the part of the Palace to certify as urgent the passage of the Bangsamoro basic law?

Deles: That is the plan but as explained to us by the Senate President, that happens once the Committee in the Senate has completed its work. It is at that point after it has been submitted and it has gone through the process, and there is a consensus between the committee, then we go to the Plenary, it is at that point that we certify it as urgent. That is part of the commitment of the Office of the President.

SP Drilon: It will be an administration measure and as a matter of practice the certification as urgent is ready when the committee report is submitted on the floor and approved.

Q: What is the status of the Philippine-MNLF?

Deles: As we have repeatedly been updating the public the process which is the exact of that is a tripartite implementation review, that is still being processed, there was in fact a scheduled meeting that did not push through because of the movement of the MNLF forces of Misuari in Zamboanga, but we continue to engage the OIC's committee, as well as the leadership of the Philippines and the MNLF. We are now close to coming up with the schedule for the next tripartite meeting. That tripartite meeting will take up the proposal of the government and that we now can complete the tripartite process so that we can (unclear) implementing the agreements that we have in the recent years. That will include our proposal as a main incentive to the MNLF, since the framework agreement came into view, that the MNLF should also be engaged in the process of crafting the law. The forty two consensus points that came out of the tripartite process in fact has been submitted to the transition commission so that it is part of what is under study and we hope that soon enough, particularly after the tripartite meeting has been held, that MNLF may come freely in providing inputs and insights into our hope that this will be the best possible law for the Bangsamoro. That process is in place, we are working with the OIC and leaders of the MNLF to have a common (unclear) in the next tripartite meeting as soon as possible.

Q: Is it fair to assume that the comprehensive agreement will be signed before the bill is submitted to Congress?

Deles: Yes, soon.

SP Drilon: The comprehensive agreement will be the basis of the basic law. In other words, we expect the administration draft of the basic law will be submitted to us. The agreement itself is a matter of political exercise and part of the political exercise is to transform that agreement into a basic law to be ratified.

Q: This early can we say that it is something similar to crafting the ARMM law?

Deles: I think as a basic law it is a form of organic act. Since we have the formal government, we will have the power, it will put into legal form the framework agreement and its annexes insofar as it is appropriate. As has been explained in the normalization annex, not all of that has to be put into the law. Much of the normalization annex can already proceed with that in partnership with the MILF but the wealth sharing annex and the power sharing annex, much of the transition arrangements, particularly from the passing of the law, the transition authority and the plebiscite will have to be put into law. In the normalization annex, it is the matter of the police that will need to be put into the basic law. That is what that will look like. If you studied all the annexes, they have to be put into legal form because the agreement is a political document.

Guingona: Basically the law is an organic law but more than an organic law, it is a peace agreement. It is a peace agreement that puts into fruition the aspirations of the Bangsamoro.

Q: You mentioned that there are some concerns about the technical aspects?

Iqbal: I for one am not trained to craft a law. In order to do that, I will have to consult people who have the technical know-how to do it that is why we are inviting not only local experts but even international experts in the various committees, because we need really to rally and mobilize those concerned in the crafting of the basic law to form the framework of the Bangsamoro as well as the annexes.

Q: Did the conflict between the BIFF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines become a cause for concern of the MILF with the Bangsamoro peace process?

Iqbal: Actually it is a concern for us but the concern is mainly on civilians because civilians are not combatants. Whether the fighting is fought in the Philippines or other groups, when civilians are involved, it concerns everybody. But you know the BIFF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have no ceasefire. They cannot use the ceasefire as something to that effect that there will be no such fighting by government or any other group. There is no ceasefire between the BIFF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is understandable that there are concerns but our real concern is about the civilians.

Q: Will this not create conflict for the peace process?

Iqbal: Alam po ninyo alam namin yun at naisip rin namin yun but we have to be very clear on the issue because as we said there is no issue now between the BIFF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. If there were concerns, that is unnecessary because there is no ceasefire. They cannot stop the AFP to conduct war against the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

Q: On the government's side, what was the latest report from the armed forces regarding the conflict in Maguindanao?

Deles: Our security forces are carrying out operations that are really aimed to be targeted and with clear objectives. They are not looking into the way of conducting the hostility so that they will be spread, talagang this will be contained. The security forces are fully cognizant of the peace process and that is why doon sa actions that happened with the BIFF, every effort was taken to use the ceasefire mechanisms with the MILF to ensure that hindi madadamay itong relationship between the MILF and the AFP and as far as that has gone, what has been happening on the ground shows that the ceasefire mechanisms are well in place and steady and can stand all sorts of challenges. That means that also political process is firmly in place. It is not going to be put aside, it is not going to hiccup along the way. Of course we want these hostilities end, the message of the panel has been very clear. We invite the members of the BIFF to look into the process. This is a process that is for the entire Bangsamoro, hindi lang ito pang MILF. Hindi lang ito para doon sa nagpapalakad ng batas, we will have an inclusive government that will be taking the best care of its people as best as possible. So, the call is really for the entire Bangsamoro and especially those still with doubts to take a look and I think this is what the transition commission is doing as well as our separate panels na bumaba at mag-explain to those who are on the ground and of course those who are affected by the war.

Q: You said earlier that we can fast-track the law and baka this year maipasa na ito. Ano po ang nakikita ninyong hindrance?

SP Drilon: Unang una kaya po sinasabi natin na yung organic act draft must stay within the four corners of the Constitution, precisely conscious of the views taken by some that there is a need for Constitutional amendments, we take the different view that is why we have emphasized that the organic act should be within the four corners of the Constitution. Sabi namin, dapat ang isusumite ng administrasyon sa Kongreso ay yung hindi lalabag sa ating Saligang Batas at hindi nangangailangan ng pagbabago ng ating Saligang Batas sa pamamagitan ng Constitutional amendments. Kaya binigay namin ang aming self-imposed target , and we will emphasize that our target is to have passed by the end of the year so that we can have the ratification in 2015. Certainly with the absolute deadline we must be able to have this ratified and put in place before the end of the President's term.

Deles: Certainly because in the last weeks there have been challenges on the ground, I hope people see this in perspective. We expect challenges to happen. No peace agreement anywhere in the world went through without opposition, meron lagi niyan and in many cases it may be violent and it is not how the challenge happened that is important, it is how we respond to it. I think what we are showing here is that the parties can stand firm. The parties on the part of government proves that not just the executive but the legislature, we can stand firm and face these challenges and overcome them. We are reminded that in fact it was after the signing of the signing of the Good Friday in Northern Ireland that one of the largest form of violence happened.

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