“Weve’ overcome the hurdle,” government peace panel chair Rodolfo Garcia told MindaNews in a telephone interview at around 11:30 a.m. today, just before Garcia left Kuala Lumpur for Manila.

“This is a big boost forward,” Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace panel, told MindaNews in a text message from Kuala Lumpur.

The two panels broke the 13-month impasse evening of October 24, after a two-day special session in the Malaysian capital. (More details shortly)