Friday, June 22, 2007 MILF: Replace Afable with Cabinet secretary By Ben O. Tesiorna
AT LEAST a Cabinet-rank government official must replace former government peace negotiator Silvestre Afable and not a priest or anything of lesser position.
This is the demand made by Moro Islamic Liberation Front spokesman Eid Kabalu in a telephone interview Thursday morning.
Kabalu said their opposition to Fr. Eliseo Mercado as replacement to Afable is based on this demand for a chief peace negotiator that truly represents the government.
He said they have nothing against Mercado personally but his being a priest is not enough for him to represent the government in the peace negotiations.
“Hindi naman sa ayaw namin kay (it’s not that we don’t like) Fr. Mercado. The point is that this is not an interfaith dialogue but a political act. He is not connected with the government eh kaya mahirap (that makes it difficult). The peace negotiations must be acted upon by a statesperson. But we do not question his sincerity and capacity,” Kabalu said.
When asked who they have in mind to replace Afable, Kabalu said they have no one in particular “basta (so long) government official and at least holding a cabinet rank position.”
Latest development showed though that Fr. Mercado had already backed out of the post that Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza earlier said is being offered to Mercado.
Malacañang however denied that Mercado is being offered the post especially after the MILF publicly declared their opposition to Mercado as the government’s chief peace negotiator.
Kabalu said the vacancy on the post is a setback on the resumption of the peace negotiations but said they are earnestly hoping that once a replacement is finally found the peace talks could finally resume.
