MANILA, Philippines --- The 36th round of Formal Exploratory Talks between the negotiating panels of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ended Wednesday afternoon with the signing of the annex on Transitional Arrangements and Modalities (TAM) that details the road map toward the creation of the Bangsamoro. 

According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process or (OPAPP), the parties also signed the Terms of Reference for the Independent Commission on Policing (ICP) prepared by the Technical Working Group or (TWG) on Normalization. 

The ICP is the body that shall submit recommendations to the peace panels on the police force for the Bangsamoro pursuant to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB). 

OPAPP added that both parties continued discussions on the annexes on Wealth Sharing and Power Sharing and have resolved most of the remaining issues. 

The parties, likewise, discussed the composition of the Third Party Monitoring Team, the body that will review, assess, evaluate, and monitor the implementation of the FAB and its Annexes. 

In the joint statement submitted and signed by GPH Peace Panel Chairman Miriam Coronel Ferrer and MILF Peace Panel Chair Mohagher Iqbal, the parties also welcomed the appointment of all the members of the Transition Commission as envisioned by the FAB and provided for by Executive Order 120. 

OPAPP said both panels acknowledged the important role of the Transition Commission and look forward to its success. 

“The parties, at the same time, expressed their appreciation to His Excellency President Benigno Simeon Aquino III for his unwavering commitment to a just and lasting peace in Mindanao, to His Excellency Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak for his continued support in the facilitation of the GPH-MILF Peace Talks, and to the members of the MILF Central Committee headed by Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim for their untiring commitment to the peaceful resolution of the Bangsamoro Question,” OPAPP said.

“The parties also extend their gratitude to the members of the International Contact Group (ICG), namely Japan, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Turkey, the United Kingdom, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD), Conciliation Resources (CR), Muhammadiyah, and The Asia Foundation (TAF),” it added.

The peace panels also thanked CHD’s David Gorman for his active participation since the inception of the ICG in 2009, and his valuable contributions to the GPH-MILF peace process. Both Parties also wish him well in his new assignment. 

The statement by the panels was signed in the presence of Malaysian Facilitator Tengku Dato’ Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed.