By Jelly F. Musico
MANILA, Feb. 27 (PNA) — Malacanang remains solid in its resolve to keep pushing the peace process in Mindanao through the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Mindanao, said Presidential Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Valte on Friday.
”While there are difficulties that we are encountering, we are more than solid in our resolve to keep pushing for whatever it would be, especially the draft BBL,” Valte said during media briefing in Malacanang.
The Palace official made the reaction amid calls from some lawmakers to replace Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles and Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer as members of the Philippine government panel.
”As it is now, we have already made it known that there is a delay when it comes to the hearing of the draft BBL. Whether the calls for resignation will affect the prospective hearings is something that we cannot tell at this point in time,” Valte said.
Valte also said the BBL is not personality-based but “rather it should be merit-based.”
However, the Palace deputy spokesperson clarified that both Deles and Ferrer retain the trust and the confidence of President Benigno Aquino III.
”The President retains that both officials have a long established record of being peace advocates and that they do retain the trust and confidence of President Aquino,” Valte said.
She also said the two women peace negotiators with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) “stand for the government of the Philippines.”
”And that every time they face the other table that they do represent our interests,” Valte emphasized.
Recently, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Francis “Chiz” Escudero called for the resignation of Deles and Ferrer, saying the two government peace negotiators failed to uphold the interest of the government in the wake of the Mamasapano incident that killed 44 SAF troopers on January 25. (PNA)