Philippines, Muslim Rebels Near Final Pact Amid Power-Share DealBy Joel Guinto & Clarissa Batino - Dec 8, 2013 2:24 PM ETThe Philippines and Muslim rebels expect to sign a final accord next month, bringing President Benigno Aquino closer to his pledge of ending four decades of insurgency on resource-rich Mindanao island.
The central government will retain authority over monetary, defense, and foreign policies while the autonomous government will have “exclusive powers” over agriculture, trade, investments, labor and tourism, according to a copy of the power-sharing deal signed yesterday in Kuala Lumpur. Bangsamoro, as the autonomous entity will be known, will have a ministerial form of government composed of at least 50 popularly elected ministers, who will elect among themselves a chief minister.
The parties said they expect to complete next month the last of four annexes that will tackle the schedule of disarming the rebels, paving the way for the final pact. They also need to thrash out jurisdiction over the waters to be included under Bangsamoro.
Four decades of insurgency in Mindanao killed as many as 200,000 people and stifled development of the southern island. Ending one of Southeast Asia’s most entrenched conflicts could help bring investors to Mindanao and unlock mineral deposits worth an estimated $312 billion.
