Manila, Philippines (The Redline News Philippines)- Presidential Adviser
on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza says the government is open to amending or
even rewriting the 1987 Constitution to address the root causes of armed rebel
resistance to the government.
“If you really look up what they (rebels) aspire for, you
have to open up our Constitution to be able to accommodate them. That is the
reality,” Dureza said in his remarks during the recent Konsult Mindanao Peace
Conference in Davao City participated in by Lumad, Muslim and Christian leaders
from across Mindanao.
He noted that the existing Philippine Constitution has
become a "stumbling block" in effectively negotiating peace with the
National Democratic Front of the Philippines/Communist Party of the
Philippines-New People’s Army (NDFP/CPP-NPA), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
“If you talk with the CPP and even the Bangsamoro (MILF,
MNLF) they will never admit and agree that they will be circumscribed by a
Constitution or by our laws,” Dureza said.
He added that all
agreements previously signed with the said major rebel forces made no reference
to the Philippine Constitution.
“We always refer to international laws and protocols,"
he added. Dureza explained that, as government negotiators, they have to work
within the “confines of the Constitution" in order to allow both parties
to continue working on a final peace settlement despite their opposing views
and ideologies.
The head of the
government peace process however said the desire of Philippine President
Rodrigo Duterte to shift from bicameral and presidential form of government to
parliamentary and federal will require constitutional reforms
It could also open up to other reforms in response to the
strong clamor of the president for a more inclusive economic development
strategy and direction.
Dureza said the failure of Congress to pass the Bangsamoro
Basic Law can be attributed to some perceived unconstitutionality of some of
the provisions of the proposed bill.
Instead of refilling an improved version of BBL, Dureza said
the contentious provisions of the BBL could be included in a proposed new
charter.
Amending or writing a new charter could also accelerate the
peace negotiations with the NDF, Dureza further added.
The government peace panel is set to leave for Rome in Italy
on January 18-25 for the third round of talks with the NDF.
Topping the agenda in the Rome round of talks are the social
and economic reforms that the rebels are putting across the negotiating table.
Negotiators from both sides are also expected to tackle and
agree on the mechanics and guidelines for a bilateral ceasefire agreement and
political and constitutional reforms.
Expand 'peace tables'
Meanwhile, Dureza underscored the need to further strengthen
and expand the existing “peace tables” in order to make them more inclusive and
ensure the success of the ongoing peace negotiations with various rebel groups.
Dureza pointed out that the peace or “negotiation tables”
with the NDFP, MNLF and MILF are “very small tables as compared to the bigger
peace table” which is the general public.
“If you do not get
the bigger public first to be informed of what is happening in the peace
table[s], and if they don’t understand what we are doing, chances are they will
reject what we agree on in [those] negotiations table,” Dureza added.
The two-day event
peace conference organized by the Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC) and supported
by OPAPP, aimed to, among others, revisit the recommendations made during the
Mindanao-wide multisectoral BUC consultations in 2009 as inputs to the ongoing
GPH peace negotiations and initiatives and expand a people’s platform for
dialogue towards the understanding of historical and socio-political issues in
Mindanao.(Press release/posted by Becky D. de Asis- The Redline News Philippines)
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