MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 1, 2012) – The Philippines on Thursday reiterated its commitment to resolve and complete the peace process with the former Muslim rebel group called Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles, who attended Thursday the 2nd Ad Hoc High Level (AHHL) Group Meeting in the Indonesian city of Bandung, said the Filipino leader Benigno Aquino wants to complete the peace process with the MNLF.
“We come to the table bringing with us the full force of government to demonstrate the seriousness in government’s intent, under the leadership of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, to bring proper completion and closure to a process that has gone on for far too long,” she said.
Deles said that the purpose of the tripartite meeting was not to renegotiate the peace agreement, but rather to review its implementation towards its full compliance by the two parties. “We remain committed to this intent. It is why we are here, despite the difficult twists and challenges we have encountered along the way,” she said.
She said the government presented a report on the progress of the reforms being undertaken in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Deles also cited some developments in the reform agenda, such as the “housekeeping and re-engineering of the regional government side-by-side with massive financial infusion for social services and infrastructure being poured into ARMM, including targeted development assistance to the MNLF Peace and Development Communities, which were constituted following the signing of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement.”
She said that the government is pursuing a convergence approach to peace in Mindanao. “We are confident that the results of this OIC-GPH-MNLF tripartite review, together with the culmination of the GPH-MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) peace talks and joined with current efforts to reform and strengthen the ARMM under the stewardship of the officer-in-charge regional government, will herald a new chapter in the long and valorous history of the Bangsamoro,” she said.
Deles also related that the government’s peace negotiations with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), are now on its substantive stage.
“We have firm basis to hope that a peace agreement with the MILF may be attained within the year. Such achievement, together with the completion of the Implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement ensuing from this tripartite review process, ushers in the hope for the most comprehensive, responsive and enduring resolution of the conflict in the south,” she said.
Deles expressed appreciation for the efforts of the OIC, especially its Secretary General, Professor Eklemedin Ihsanoglu, in cultivating an enabling environment for more consultations and cooperation between the two Moro fronts that both seek the advancement of the right to self-governance of one and the same people in one and the same homeland.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation – Peace Committee for the Southern Philippines (OIC-PCSP), chaired by Indonesian Ambassador Rezlan Jenie, facilitated the AHHL meeting.
Deles was joined by Undersecretary Jose Luis Gascon, of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs; Justice Undersecretary Leah Armamento; Deputy Director-General Zenonida Brosas of the National Security Council; Commissioner Edilwasif Baddiri of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos; and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Vice Governor Bainon Karon. And agencies accompanying the process in advisory capacity were also represented by Undersecretary Nabil Tan, of the Office of the Executive Secretary, and Undersecretary Rafael Seguis of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Mindanao political leaders, who were invited by the Aquino government, also attended the meeting as observers of the process. Among those were Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar, Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong, Jr., Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, Tawi-Tawi Gov. Sadikul Sahali, Rep. Jesus Sacdalan, chairman of the House Special Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, and Cotabato City Rep. Sandra Sema.
The AHHL Group, which is composed of representatives from the Philippine government and the MNLF, was created by the parties to move forward the Tripartite Review on the implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement.
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