Philippine Muslim self-rule bill to end decades of fighting?

MANILA - Philippine President Benigno Aquino will on Monday receive a completed draft Bill to create a Muslim autonomous area, aimed at ending decades of fighting that has claimed thousands of lives, his spokesman said.

Receiving the draft Bill would allow Mr Aquino to quickly submit it to Congress so it could be quickly passed into law and implemented before the president's term ends in mid-2016, Mr Aquino's spokesman Herminio Coloma said.

The president on Monday will be handed the draft forged by government negotiators and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country's main Muslim rebel group as part of the peace process, Mr Coloma told reporters.

"The president will prioritise and give his attention to this bill so it can be passed by Congress... as soon as possible in accordance to the roadmap and timetable," he said.

AFP