Ferrer: Success of MILF peace pact requires trust

MANILA - Following 17 years of hard negotiations, government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will finally sign the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro today.

Government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the historic agreement is important not only for the Bangsamoro and the people of Mindanao but for all Filipinos.

She said the agreement will inspire other countries that face similar troubles.

The five-page document will be signed in Malacañang by the government peace panel and MILF panel members in the presence of more than 1,000 guests from various sectors of society.

But the work doesn't end with the signing.

"It's like a graduation ceremony. You finish one phase, you move on to the next which is the real world. We have to make everything that we talked about real in the lives of the people."

Ferrer said the agreement will only be successful if trust between the government and the MILF is maintained and if both parties fulfill their commitments.

They aim to have the Bangsamoro law passed in the first quarter of 2015.

"This project really requires partnership. My counterpart in the MILF said the greatest threat to this agreement can come from either party, if one reneges on the terms or is unable to rally their forces," she said.