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Philippine Congress gets draft bill to end rebellion

By Agencies in Manila | China Daily | Updated: 2014-09-11 07:12

The Philippine president submitted a draft law to Congress on Wednesday that aims to end four decades of rebellion by Muslims in the south, by granting them more autonomy in a region that will have its own flag, government and police force.

President Benigno Aquino III asked Congress to rapidly pass the proposed legislation, which fleshes out a peace deal signed in March between his government and the country's largest Muslim insurgent group, the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Aquino is keen to see the deal in place before his term ends in June 2016.

"We ask Congress ... to pass this bill in the soonest possible time," Aquino said.

"If we are able to legislate this, we can give our Moro brothers enough time to prepare, thus enabling them to nurture the seeds of meaningful governance which were planted for the Bangsamoro."

The rebels have been fighting since the 1970s for Muslim self-rule in the major southern island of Mindanao in an insurrection that has killed about 150,000 combatants and civilians. The United States and other Western governments have backed the autonomy deal partly to prevent the insurgency from breeding extremists who could threaten their countries.

The autonomous region, to be called Bangsamoro, would replace an existing one, seen as a dismal failure.

The new plan grants much more autonomy to the region, including a 60-member parliament that would wield exclusive power over such areas as agriculture, trade, tourism and education.

Under the draft law, Islamic Shariah law would apply to Muslim residents, but the country's justice system would continue to apply to non-Muslims. Most Filipinos are Catholic, but Mindanao has scattered areas dominated by Muslims.

The government also has promised to pour development funds into the region, which has been stunted economically due to the fighting.

The peace accord and the draft law came after 13 years of tough negotiations.

"This is the farthest distance we have reached in our peace journey" with the front, presidential adviser Teresita Deles said in a statement. "Every word, line, and provision shall be subjected to the sunshine of democratic debate, where all voices will be heard, with our constitution as the guiding light."

The central government would retain authority over areas such as defense, foreign and monetary policy, the postal service and immigration, according to the proposal.

AP - AFP

(China Daily 09/11/2014 page11)

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