PHILIPPINES: Filipino Muslims rally in support of peace agreement signed between rebel group and Philippine government, hope deal will bring positive changes

Record ID: 214530

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: Filipino Muslims rally in support of peace agreement signed between rebel group and Philippine government, hope deal will bring positive changes
  • Date: 27th March 2014
  • Summary: AUDIENCE SEATED DURING PEACE AGREEMENT CEREMONY
  • Embargoed: 11th April 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Philippines
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAED3N8ACT1QYR84RFRPM84ODQ4
  • Story Text: Thousands of Muslim supporters gathered outside the Presidential Palace in Manila on Thursday (March 27) to support the signing of a peace agreement between the Philippine government and the largest Muslim rebel group in the southern Philippines, a deal that may end a decades-old arms struggle that has killed more than 100,000 people in the poor but resource rich region.
    Muslim rebels had agreed to disband their guerrilla forces, surrender their weapons in phases and rebuild their communities under the peace deal while the government grants them self-rule with wider powers to control their economy and cultural affairs.
    Muslims in Manila cheered and chanted prayers for the success of the peace agreement.
    The agreements on power, wealth-sharing and local security were reflected into a proposed legislation that will create a new political entity called "Bangsamoro", the term used for Muslim and non-Christian natives of southern Mindanao island. A plebiscite will determine the shape and size of the Bangsamoro area.

    "We cannot describe how happy we are, head over heels for this occasion. It is for everyone-- for our livelihood, for the education of the new generations of the Bangsamoro people," said Abdulla Said, one of the Muslim supporters who travelled from the southern Philippines to witness the signing ceremony.
    Sharifa Mastura, a Muslim youth leader, said she hoped the peace deal will give them a new home free of discrimination.

    "We are expecting a new change with peace and unity in the Philippines, whether you are a Christian or a Muslim," she said.
    The next important step after the peace agreement is the drafting and passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which both houses of Congress promised to pass this year to create a new entity and expand the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
    Political analyst Ramon Casiple said the politics could come into play in the passing of the law, and in the next presidential elections.

    "This is a personal project of the President, It will be his legacy and 2016 is around the corner. We would expect that the crafting of the Basic Law to reflect this agreement will become a major battleground for politicians to play in. That would even include a Supreme Court challenge," he said.
    Aquino has promised to create a Bangsamoro transition government before his termin 2016.
    Alistair Macdonald, who heads the Third Party Monitoring team, said the desire for peace among leaders and communities is strong.

    "We've been travelling around Mindanao over the last several months in different visits and the impression I get from almost all of the people I've spoken to is that there's a tremendous desire for peace, and I think that desire is so strong that it will overcome the irritants, the challenges, which will necessarily be there. And it will be very important for both parties not to be put off by the fact that one or another challenge will arise," he said.
    The fight against Muslim separatists and Maoist guerrillas for almost five decades has stunted growth in resource-rich rural areas, besides scaring off potential investment in mines, plantations, energy and infrastructure.
    A small breakaway MILF faction, criminal gangs, al Qaeda-linked radical Islamist militants and feuding clans are also operating in the south, a potential threat to the peace deal and a reminder to potential investors of the volatile security situation in the region.
    Muslims account for about 10 percent of the total population of 97 million.
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