MALACAÑANG is confident that the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will be able to complete the remaining annexes of the framework agreement in December, paving the way for the signing of a comprehensive

Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

In an interview aired over state-run Radyo ng Bayan (DzRB), Palace deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said that the government remained hopeful that both parties would be able to complete the three annexes of the peace pact by the end of the year.

As the 33rd GPH (Government of the Philippines)-MILF Formal Exploratory Talks closed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Valte said that the peace panel is expected to meet the President when he returns from Cambodia.

“Certainly, the panel makes it a point to update the President immediately ‘pag nakakauwi sila agad, mai-re-relay na po ’yung resulta sa Pangulo [once they return, they could immediately relay the results to the President]. As Dean Marvic Leonen mentioned, they’re very optimistic of finishing their work by December,” she added.

Earlier, Leonen, the government’s chief negotiator, expressed optimism on the progress of the process, saying that “there may seem to be many points that are left to the draft annexes produced by our TWGs [Technical Working Groups]. But I have confidence that it can be resolved.”

“Negotiations are always exciting—you can see how ideas developed. As of this round, there are still some issues up for discussion and which needs consultation with our principals,” Leonen added.

Meanwhile, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal shared Leonen’s optimism.

“I know everybody exerted their utmost efforts and have managed to settle many things. But the remaining issues are still so many and very hard but with determination and commitment of both parties, I think we will be able to overcome a lot of issues,” he said.

In a joint closing statement, Leonen and his counterpart, Iqbal, said that the latest round of talks in Malaysia “ended on a positive note.”

“The 33rd round of Formal Exploratory Talks between the negotiating panels of the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front held in Kuala Lumpur on November 12 to 17, 2012 ended on a positive note,” the joint statement said.

“The Panels and their Technical Working Groups made substantial progress in crafting the annexes on Power-sharing and Wealth-sharing. The TWG on Normalization was convened for the first time. Its members agreed on an outline of issues and had initial positive exchanges on these matters, “ the statement said.

“The Panels and their respective TWGs will meet again in December to continue working on the three annexes to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro. They remain committed to complete the annexes before the end of the year,” it added.