In an interview, Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of the Information Committee of the MILF, said he would like to meet the Pope, a wish he himself said is not possible. The Catholic Church in the country released earlier the papal itinerary, such as Malacanang, Tacloban City, Manila Cathedral, University of Santo Tomas, and Mall of Asia (MOA) arena covering his five-day stay until Jan. 19.
A Catholic priest on Wednesday said that MILF chairman Al-Haji Murad Ebrahim wrote the Pope a letter requesting that Cotabato City be made part of his itinerary. He said the MILF chieftain asked the Pontiff to speak to the Bangsamoro people and talk about the Mindanao peace process between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Muslim rebel group.
On the other hand, Ghazali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, confirmed the MILF letter to the Pope as a message to greet him and thanked him for his help across the nation and Christians’ help to succeed in the striving to end the conflict in Mindanao.
Iqbal, in a separate interview, said the head of the Vatican “should make a statement promoting Muslim-Christian dialogue. Silence can be interpreted as naturally a visit for Christians.”
Also the chairman of the MILF peace panel and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) that drafted the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), now House Bill No. 4994, Iqbal said he expects the visiting Pontiff to make the statement.
“Muslims respect the Pope or any religious leaders for that matter,” he added.
“I hope he will also endorse the GPH-MILF peace-making efforts,” said Iqbal.
Meanwhile, Iqbal described “2014 as the most fruitful year in the 17-year negotiation” because of the signing on March 27 of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the completion of the drafting of the BBL and its submission to President Aquino, who handed it to Congress.
“2014 is also characterized by uncertainty; the BBL is under intense scrutiny by Congress. We hope a good legislation will come soon,” he added.
“The crafting of the BBL was not an easy job; it squeezed all our patience and creativity to the hilt. It passed through the proverbial eye of the needle,” said Iqbal.
He said he is optimistic the BBL will be passed by Congress. “We are working on a very tight time line to establish the Bangsamoro Government, but there is no (other) option (but) to do it. We have the political will to overcome all obstacles, insha Allah (God-willing).
By Edd K. Usman
No comments:
Post a Comment