Senator JV Ejercito welcomed the power-sharing deal signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as a step to end the forty-year insurgency that has plagued the peace and economic stability of Muslim Mindanao.
The power-sharing deal, which was signed by both parties last Sunday (December 8) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is hailed as a significant development in the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement between the government and rebels.
“There are still contentious issues, but the power-sharing agreement is noteworthy since it elevated the peace talks for the Bangsamoro Framework to another level. I welcome it because it upheld the interest and involvement of our Muslim brothers,” the senator said.
Senator Ejercito, whose family has been long supportive of Mindanaoans, said he would back up any accord that would normalize and promote lasting peace in Mindanao.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, Ejercito said he is also looking forward to what the peace pact can bring to Mindanao’s economy with its untapped minerals and abundant natural resources. “The Bangsamoro agreement can make Mindanao soar from having the poorest provinces to the richest.”
Despite being part of the Minority, Ejercito said he trusts that the Aquino administration is genuine in the peace talks and will not thwart any agreement made with the Muslim rebels.
“Anything that would bring peace in Mindanao, I would support. And anything that would hasten growth and development, to uplift the living conditions of our Muslim brothers, I will support,” Senator Ejercito said.
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PRESS RELEASE
