Below is an article published by: Oman Tribune

A disaster has been averted in the Philippines. At last the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have agreed on a final draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which will be the legal document for implementing the deal between them. Earlier, it seemed like the peace accord would face disaster after the MILF charged that the government’s legal team had deleted or revised 70 per cent of the 100-page draft document. Subsequently, intervention by President Benigno Aquino prompted government and Moro officials to discuss all the issues at the negotiating table. Aquino’s emissary Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr also joined the discussions and played an important role in helping both sides reach an agreement. And now, in the next few days, the draft BBL will be submitted to the president. After Aquino’s approval, it will be presented to Congress. If it were not for the disagreement, these processes would have been completed at least a month ago.

Aquino has a personal stake in the deal and its implementation.  In fact, it was to be the greatest legacy of his presidency. But the problems that arose from it and the impediments in its way must not have surprised him. On the other hand, he must have expected it. In the past too, vested interests have subverted deals with the Moros. An example is the agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front, which had staunch opposition on both sides. On the government’s side, it is a fact that there are many not interested in giving any leeway to the Moros and would like them to be completely under the thumb of Manila. Even though the deal is on its way to being implemented, the hard fact is that it might still face impediments erected by vested interests. For them it is not the country’s interests that are paramount. Instead, it is their personal, sectarian or communal interests that matter.

There is no doubt that the Manila-MILF deal is crucial for the country’s future. Rich in natural resources, the island of Mindanao, which will be autonomous under the Moro rule, can be the engine to spur the country’s growth. But this would have happened long ago if it were not for the Moro rebellion that lasted for decades and claimed thousands of lives. The result was that investors shied away from the Philippines that was hit hard by poverty and unemployment, which had forced hundreds of thousands of Filipinos to go abroad to work. This brain drain has also affected the country. All these negative trends may now be reversed if the peace agreement becomes a reality. This deal could also be an indicator for talks and an agreement with the Communists. But it may not become a reality during Aquino’s term, which ends in 2016.