By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
The mayor of a predominantly Christian city in the Philippines' majority Muslim south has accused the country's one-time largest rebel group of jumping the gun ahead of the ratification of Bangsamoro Basic Law by attempting to conduct an assessment of minerals in her region.
Zamboanga Mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar confirmed the allegation to the Anadolu Agency on Monday, saying the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should refrain from such unauthorized moves that will jeopardize the peace process it signed with the government in March.
She said that villagers had brought to her attention the "strong presence" of MILF in the area.
"We received a report that they [MILF] are interested in mineral deposits," Climaco-Salazar said.
On March 27, the government and the MILF signed a peace deal that brought to a close 17 years of negotiations and ended a decades-old armed conflict in the southern area of Mindanao -- the second largest and southernmost major island in the Philippines -- while granting Muslim areas greater political autonomy.
The deal committed President Benigno Aquino and the MILF to pass a law creating the Bangsamoro Region -- which will supplant the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao once the Bangsamoro Basic Law is passed and ratified -- before the 2016 presidential elections. It will bring much needed wealth to a region that is among the most underdeveloped in the country due to the decades-old conflict.
Under the new agreement, the MILF will get a 75 percent share of income derived from the exploitation of metallic minerals in the area -- reported to include gold and copper. It will also receive 75 percent of tax revenue, while any income derived from fossil fuels -- like petroleum, natural gas and coal -- will be split 50-50 with the central government in Manila.
The draft law, however, is still to be ratified, leading to accusations that the MILF has moved too soon with such exploration. The Bangsamoro Transition Committee submitted the law to the government in April for review prior to submission to Congress, only for the government to return it two months later.
Peace negotiators on Friday convened a 10-day meeting in Davao City to come up with a revised version of the law as the original version reportedly has "contentious" issues.
The mayor on Monday accused the MILF contingent of being headed by Bhab Jumadil, a provincial chairman of the group in Zamboanga City, who has been actively involved in enlightening local residents of the value of the peace accord to their lives and generations to come.
"We would like to let the public know that we are constantly monitoring and coordinating with the GPH [Philippines Government] so that they will be able to determine whether this action is appropriate," she said.
Further complicating the issue, is that Zamboanga has repeatedly voted against joining the wider Bangsamoro entity.
Climaco-Salazar said Monday that the MILF's mineral assessment is clearly in violation of the peace accord or Bangsamoro Framework Agreement.
"It [the presence of MILF in the area] has already been brought up to the [Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process] secretary. No... no... we will not file a case it is up to the panel to elevate this," she said.
Meanwhile, the Philippines army has been holding dialogue with the MILF amid delays in the ratification of the law.
"Military commanders are asking for patience and understanding from the MILF about the delay in the submission of the law to Congress," Public Affairs Office Chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said.
Earlier reports said MILF commanders are growing impatient over the delay, and that some are even feeling betrayed by the Aquino administration.
Zagala said military commanders have assured the MILF of their full support of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
"We want to stay positive. That (violence) is the last thing we want. What we really want is for the BBL to succeed," he said, responding to a question referring to the possibility that any breakdown could develop into a security problem.
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