MILF says ‘war is not an option’ in case BBL fails to get Congress nod

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Monday assured the public that it will not take up arms even if the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will not get Congress' approval, saying “war is not an option.”

On its website, the MILF clarified that it has “never issued any official statement that it will go to war over the non-passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law which is under deliberations in both houses of Congress.”

“On the contrary, the MILF consistently maintains that no matter what happens to the BBL, the pursuit of peace would remain the menu in setting the armed conflict in Mindanao,” the MILF said in a statement.

“War is not an option to the MILF,” it added.

The MILF gave the assurance after Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. appealed to the rebel group not to resort to threats and warnings if Congress fails to pass the BBL, which will establish a new political entity in Mindanao to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The MILF, and its chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, have repeatedly said that the rebel group is committed to the peace process.

On Tuesday, Marcos welcomed the statement coming from the MILF.

"That is a very encouraging statement  from the MILF. It is an important point that helps the people’s confidence in the MILF as partners for peace,” Marcos said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Marcos chairs the Senate committee on local government, which is conducting public hearings on the proposed BBL.

Marcos earlier opposed the Malacañang-sponsored BBL and instead, will file a substitute bill after Tuesday's last public hearing.

Peace with MILF

Earlier in May, the Armed Forces of the Philippines also said that it believes the peace with the MILF will hold even if the deadline that Congressional leaders set to pass the BBL lapses.

"'Yung overwhelming numbers naman nila (MILF) are for peace naman, that will influence the other members who are — who might be hawkist. There are a lot of MILF members who are for peaceful means, who are doves," AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Joselito Kakilala said then.

Iqbal, in an open letter to the Filipino people in May, also said that "even if the BBL will not pass Congress, [the MILF] will always pursue the path of peace in the resolution of the Moro Problem or Question in Mindanao."

He has also repeatedly warned, however, that failure to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law could mean that more radical groups will eclipse the MILF in terms of influence on how to best resolve the conflict in that part of Mindanao.

"The next generation of Moro leaders, young and idealist, would be expected to be more radical than the contemporary Moro leaders, who, as a consequence of their 43 long years of struggle, are more pragmatic and reasonable," he said in his letter in May.

The BBL embodies the peace agreement signed by the government and the MILF in March last year.

Marcos heads the Senate local government committee, which is currently tackling the BBL. He had earlier said that his committee cannot pass the Malacañang-drafted bill as it has many questionable provisions.

In its statement, the MILF appealed to Marcos to “fast-track your process and come out with your committee report.”

“You may have all the best intentions, because you want a good BBL, but time is running out,” it said, noting that the BBL “has been in Congress for nine months already and, therefore, it is not true to say that the BBL is being rushed up.”

“The flipside is truer: The passage of the BBL is getting snagged. This is the popular impression thus far created,” the group said.

'Revolutionary group'

In February, Iqbal reminded the government that, despite signing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014, the MILF is still a revolutionary organization.

"While we may have signed a peace agreement with the government after 18 years of intermittent war and negotiations, that peace agreement has yet to be implemented. Until the peace agreement is fully implemented, we will remain to be a revolutionary organization," Iqbal said in a letter to senators holding an investigation on the Mamasapano clash in January, where more than 60 people died during a police operation against international terrorists in the area.

Forty-four Special Action Force troopers died in the clash, which the MILF maintains was an act of self-defense. Thy said they had not been informed of the operation as agreed to in ceasefire protocols.

The Mamasapano clash has contributed to the delay in the passage of the BBL, and has polarized public opinion on the peace process with the MILF.

Despite the delay on the passage of the BBL, the government and MILF peace panels have continued meeting on the eventual decommissioning of MILF armed units.

Iqbal said on Monday that the first 145 fighters from the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the MILF's armed wing, are set to disarm "very soon."


Sumber - GMA News Online