Philippines: Duterte orders continuity in peace process

By Hader Glang

ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines (AA) - Newly-installed President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered his government to continue efforts to implement signed peace agreements between the past administration and rebel groups to pursue peace and development in the country.

Among the agreements is a law that would seal a 2014 peace deal signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which will grant greater autonomy to majority Muslim provinces.

Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) stalled in Congress earlier this year, as it adjourned for campaigning for the May 9 election.

In a statement emailed to Anadolu Agency on Tuesday, Jesus Dureza, the new peace adviser, recapped significant parts of a speech Duterte made during his presidential oath taking.

Duterte underscored the continued implementation of all signed peace agreements in conformity with the constitutional and legal reforms, adding that there also must be an inclusive roadmap, which takes into account all stakeholders, particularly indigenous peoples.

“These are our marching orders and we will work in that direction,” Dureza said.

The new peace adviser also underlined the importance of development efforts relative to peace building, saying these will sustain peace on the ground.

“It is not enough that we have signed peace agreements, it will not be sustainable. We must couple it with development,” Dureza said. “In other words, when you sign agreements, you must always make the people feel that there are dividends for peace because it is development that will sustain all these gains.”

Dureza called on all stakeholders to persevere so that the strides of peace will be “one step forward from where these are today”.

“We like to invite you to continue being with us. There are a few changes but, definitely, we will continue what the previous Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (PAPP) has done," he said.

On Monday, Dureza formally took over as the new PAPP chief, replacing President Benigno Aquino III's PAPP Teresita Quintos Deles.

Dureza said Duterte told them to keep the implementation of the agreements in line with the Constitution and other laws, and this must be coupled with "an inclusive roadmap" that engages stakeholders, particularly indigenous peoples.

He also assured continuity of the policies and achievements of the former peace adviser.

"There will be a change of command, but let me assure everyone that there will be no transition as they used to call it. We would like to use the word 'continuity,'" he said. "We build on every brick on the ground. There is so much that has been done already... Enabling peace is a work for a lifetime. It is a continuous work."

In an editorial posted on its official website July 1, the MILF clarified "In general terms, the first inclusivity in the Bangsamoro Basic Law is that it is for the Bangsamoro people, with the indigenous people given the freedom of choice and the migrants a special treatment, because they happen to be the minority in the proposed Bangsamoro territory."

It also stated the second inclusivity is that all its provisions, especially the Basic Rights and all other rights already enjoyed by them granted by the Constitution, are intended for their general welfare.

The third, it wrote, is that when the BBL is passed in Congress and ratified by the people, all the three major groups named above --- as well as the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) --- will be represented in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.

"The MILF is not averse to the MNLF brothers being part of the transition body," it said, referring to a group the MILF splintered from, who signed their own agreement with the government in 1996.

"In fact, we have made this known even to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," it said, referring to the Muslim body which -- along with Libya and Indonesia -- helped mediate MNLF peace talks.

"In precise term, any unimplemented provision or provisions of the 1996 GRP-MNLF Final Agreement that can 'improve or enhance” the proposed basic law is very much desired and welcomed."

Aquino's administration was at the cusp of securing a final peace deal with the MILF, with the BBL seen as a legacy for his six-year term.

However, its chances of being passed by congress in Aquino's term of office ended after a bloody clash between MILF-affiliated rebels and government troops in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, in which more than 60 people died, including 44 members of the government's special action force.