CAMP DARAPANAN, Maguindanao, Oct. 13 (PNA) — Top leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) declared Tuesday that the two Moro fronts have agreed to “merge and unite” to jointly push the passage of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) now pending in Congress.
“For the sake of a just and dignified peace and of the general welfare of the people, we the MILF and MNLF firmly and solemnly declare a diluted Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which is inimical to the full and faithful implementation of both the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FAP), is unacceptable to us and the Bangsamoro people,” MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim and MNLF chair Muslimin Sema said in a unified declaration issued Tuesday following a meeting in Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
“This unification simply means that both sides have the same goal – that is for the betterment of Bansamoro people and other inhabitants of Mindanao,” Sema said in a news conference aired by several radio stations here following the reunification meeting.
According to Murad, the declaration gave way to the cooperation of both sides to achieve the objective of the unified declaration, that is, full implementation of 2014 CAB and 1995 FPA.
“We are coming out with action plans for the achievement of this declaration,” Murad added.
Murad said the unification was born during the recent Bangsamoro Coordination Forum in Kuwait called for by the Organization of Islamic Conferece (OIC) in May this year.
Both Murad and Sema said that “under this present situation of the peace process, we realized and feel duty bound to strengthen and consolidate our unity and our people under the blessings of universal brotherhood for the common good and interest of all.”
The two leaders said the passage of an undiluted BBL shall fully implement both the 2014 CAB and the 1996 GPH-MNLF Final Peace Agreement, in letter and spirit, and in accordance with the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.
Sema said the move is also open to other Moro armed groups, including the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other MNLF factions in Mindanao.
The MNLF Sema faction is the largest and most politically active group from three factions of the MNLF that included the Nur Misuari faction and the MNLF-Islamic Command Council.
Sema who is seeking the mayorship of Cotabato City under the ruling Liberal Party, said the gathering has nothing to do with his political bid for Cotabato City. (PNA)