“Finish what we began.”

So vowed government peace panel Chief Negotiator Miriam Ferrer to finish this year the

annexes that will finalized the comprehensive agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In a statement, Ferrer said that the both parties firmly believe that there is no deal-breaker in this process, in which much trust and effort have been invested, and much more support will be given.

“We in the Government Negotiating Panel for Talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front enter 2013 with the conviction to finish what we have begun together with the MILF,” she said

“The will and the goodwill are there to make this happen. The two negotiating partners, the Bangsamoro, the peoples of Mindanao, the Filipino public and the international community all want this peace process to succeed,” she added.

On October 15, 2012, the government and the MILF signed a framework agreement which will pave the way for the establishment of the new autonomous political entity, the Bangsamoro, to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“It took some two years to achieve the set of consensus that now make up the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro [FAB]. The difficult issues were set aside for the annexes. 
Only in December did we begin work on a fourth annex,” she said

“Still, the [government] and the MILF are way past the mid-way mark after meeting only twice since the signing of the FAB on 15 October 2012. There has been much progress both in the substance and in the ‘languaging’ of the texts,” she added

Moreover, Ferrer said that some of the power-sharing issued have already been completed, leaving only a few points yet to be tackled.

“Only about four power-sharing issues remain to be discussed. These remaining issues are substantial and rather technical. The parties have agreed to solicit advice from technical experts to help them find workable solutions,” Ferrer said

“There is a working consensus on a new and better sharing formula in relation to government revenues derived from the exploration and utilization of natural resources,” she added.

On the other hand, Ferrer said that wealth-sharing issues are also set to be threshed out once the panels meet anew this year.

“This wealth-sharing formula, a set of devolved taxes, and the system of block grants reflect the mutual desire of the two parties to achieve sustainable self-governance and fiscal autonomy for the Bangsamoro,” she said.

“There are many more consensus points in the current draft annexes.

These will be openly discussed in due time,” she added

Also, Ferrer emphasized that “both parties are open to consideoptions on the remaining eight
or so issues, across the annexes, including the ‘technical impasse’ pertaining to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.”

She added that finishing the remaining annexes should not take than more than two months.
“It should not take more than two months to finish the four annexes.

“By this time, the Transition Commission should have been fully organized and ready to build on the terms laid out by the Panels in the Annexes,” she said.