Los Angeles - Secretary Jesus G. Dureza, presidential adviser on the peace process, said last week it might take a long time before peace could be achieved in Mindanao.
Last week, the government panel was about to resume peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) but was postponed again.
Observers said the talks were postponed after more government soldiers had been ambushed in Basilan and Sulu by rebels believed to be members of the IMLF and the Abu Sayyaf.
Dureza said the government wants to rebuild relationships with the Muslim community despite the war in Mindanao.
Whenever there are confrontations between the Muslim rebels and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), it`s the civilians who suffer, he explained.
“When the military launches an offensive to run after rebels violating ceasefire agreements, we always make sure that the civilians are deposited in safe places such as the evacuation centers, he pointed out.
However, he explained, Muslim civilians tend to go to Muslim-dominated places while the Christians prefer to be housed in centers of the same faith.
“What happens is that the Muslims start to feel all the more isolated and the feeling of hatred becomes mutual,” he added.
Land issues, he added, must also be resolved.
Muslims, he said, don`t usually have titles to lands given to them by their ancestors.
“Now, here comes a Christian being granted land titles to lands that used to be owned by the Muslims,” he said.
“Sometimes, we settle ownership by giving half of the land to the Muslims and the other half to the Christian settlers,” said Dureza.
A lasting zone of peace for Muslim Mindanao is one of the concerns the government will pursue in Kuala Lumpur talks once the talks resume.
Dureza, guest of the L.A. Philippine Consulate General, also said that while the government has as of the moment closed it door to possible talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People`s Army (NPA), “it has not locked the door for future negotiations.
The peace negotiation with the MILF may also be followed by new talks with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), said Dureza.
Both the separatist MILF and Abu Sayyaf are said have links with the Al Qaeda terrorist group.
In 1981, the members of the MNLF founded in the 1960s headed by Nur Misuari broke away from his group to establish the MILF and continue with their struggle for independence.
In January, 1987, the MNLF agreed to an autonomy program sponsored by the government.
Misuari was later elected chairman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) thereby abandoning his quest for independence that was to be composed of Southern Mindanao, Sulu, Palawan and Basilan.
Dureza also acknowledged that the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo should take responsibility for the deaths of the Marines this month although she asked the military to run after the killers.
She blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the deaths of 15 Marine officers and enlisted men died the other Saturday on Basilan island.
Earler, Muslim rebels beheaded 10 of 14 Marines killed in an ambush in Al-Barka town last July 10.
The MILF admitted it had ambushed the Marines because they entered rebel territory without prior coordination.
However, the MILF denied having having mutilated the soldiers.
Lask week, 27 Army soldiers were killed in separate clashes in Jolo.
Saturday`s incident was the bloodiest clash on Basilan since the July 10 ambush.
In ordering the military to run after the perpetrators, “the President is not evading responsibility,” Dureza clarified.
Dureza also conceded that the peace process may take a long time before peace could be achieved in Mindanao.
One of the steps being taken by the government is to rebuild relationships with the Muslim community, he stressed.
Whenever there are confrontations between the Muslim rebels and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), it`s the civilians who suffer, he explained.
“When the military launches an offensive to run after rebels violating ceasefire agreements, we always make sure that the civilians are deposited in safe places such as the evacuation centers, he pointed out.
However, he explained, Muslim civilians tend to go to Muslim-dominated places while the Christians prefer to be housed in centers of the same faith.
“What happens is that the Muslims start to feel all the more isolated and the feeling of hatred becomes mutual,” he added.
Land issues, he added, must also be resolved.
Muslims, he said, don`t usually have titles to lands given to them by their ancestors.
“Now, here comes a Christian being granted land titles to lands that used to be owned by the Muslims,” he said.
“Sometimes, we settle ownership by giving half of the land to the Muslims and the other half to the Christian settlers,” said Dureza.
A lasting zone of peace for Muslim Mindanao is one of the concerns the government is pursuing in the Kuala Lumpur talks, he revealed.
With regards to the NPAs, Dureza had said in the past that there was no likelihood of a ceasefire with Communist rebels.
He cited what he said was the continuous atrocities being committed by the NPAs.
Dureza as presidential adviser on the peace process has the rank of a Cabinet member.
A former human rights lawyer and journalist, Dureza was also a congressman representing Davao City.
“Ongoing peacekeeping operations against rearguard actions of a despised and defeated group are meant to clear the path for these provinces` journey to peace and progress which terror has delayed for so long,” Arroyo earlier stated.
She also issued the following directives:
* Keep Basilan and Sulu operations firmly controlled to minimize civilian casualties;
* Hold urgent talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front under the auspices of the Malaysian government;
* Brief the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) Committee of Eight on Mindanao developments, underlining both the limited military operations and the continuing peace and development efforts, including huge outlays in the 2007 and 2008 budgets for Mindanao;
* Harness the Bishops-Ulama Conference and other religious and civil society groups for peace efforts;
* Accelerate and develop initiatives in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, especially high-profile public works and social programs, including health, housing, livelihood and Muslim education.
Source: www.philippinenews.com (30 Agustus 2007)
