Manila - The adherence of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the peace process has brought relative peace and order to Mindanao, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported Saturday.
In its executive summary of the peace and order situation, the AFP attributed the peaceful situation to the ceasefire agreement, which resulted in a significant decline of hostilities between government security forces and the MILF. Only 97 incidents of hostilities were recorded this year.
The military leadership described these incidents that left 35 MILF renegades dead, five captured and three apprehended as isolated incidents. Fifty-two other rebels gave themselves up.
The AFP also reported that from these incidents, government security forces were able to recover 18 high-powered firearms from the Muslim rebels.
For his part, AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. expressed optimism the peace negotiations with the MILF will push through and succeed despite the recent disagreement over the issue of ancestral domain.
The scheduled resumption of the peace talks in Kuala Lumpur hit another snag last Dec. 15 after both panels failed to reach an agreement over the issue of ancestral domain.
President Arroyo, who was guest of honor at the AFP founding anniversary at Camp Aguinaldo the other day, said she is still hoping for a final peace agreement with the MILF.
"We remain optimistic that we can overcome the final barriers on ancestral domain so that we can bring finality to the peace," the President said.
Mrs. Arroyo also agreed with the AFP`s report that Mindanao has vastly improved in terms of safety, security and economic growth.
"And we thank you the AFP for upholding the ceasefire agreement agreed upon by the government panel and the MILF way back in 2003. Our ceasefire has been holding for four years. It is making things better and the peace will really take off," the President said.
Mrs. Arroyo said that once peace is attained, it would bring a new era of economic development in Mindanao.
The government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) will hold "joint working group (JWG)" conferences at the Indonesian Embassy in Manila from Jan. 3 to 7.
The JWG is a prelude to the second tripartite meeting with the Organization of Islamic Conference also slated next month, which is aimed at resolving perceived kinks in the 1996 peace agreement with the MNLF.
Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, MNLF secretary-general, said during a dinner hosted last week by Indonesian Ambassador Irzan Tandjung that representatives of the three parties have reached a consensus to hold next month`s JWG meetings in Manila.
"We in the MNLF are not opposed to it. We are in fact happy about it," Sema said.
He said the holding of the three-day meeting at the Indonesian Embassy will give former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari the opportunity to closely monitor the discussions.
Misuari, detained for leading a failed rebellion in Sulu in November 2001, was not able to attend the first tripartite meeting in Jeddah after failing to secure a "sovereign guarantee" from the Saudi Arabian government that he would return to the country after the dialogue.
The tripartite effort was made to resolve the MNLF and the government`s misunderstandings over the peace accord spearheaded by the OIC`s Peace Committee on Southern Philippines.
Deputy Presidential Adviser Hadji Nabil Tan, head of the Philippine delegation to the continuing tripartite meetings, said he is expecting more comprehensive discussions on the misunderstandings on the peace agreement during the January conference at the Indonesian Embassy.
OIC secretary-general Ekmeliddin Ishanuglo and representatives of the MNLF and the Philippine government agreed to focus on the areas of education, implementation of the Sharia law, creation of a regional security force, political representation, and natural resources – as the main parameters for the review and subsequent enhancement of the peace agreement.
The government and the MNLF have agreed to create five joint committees that would work on implementing these consensus points as the main framework for the discussions in the next tripartite meeting.
Tan, who served as vice governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao from 1993 to 1996, said the government has a ready list of people it wants to enlist as members of the various committees that would have a direct hand in the review of the peace agreemen.
Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com (24 Desember 2007)
