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Thursday, June 19, 2008
Gov't draft on MILF's ancestral domain okayed
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the National Security Council (NSC) has approved a new government draft declaring areas in Mindanao as part of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) ancestral domain.
Arroyo, in a speech during Wednesday's presentation of the administration candidates in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) elections, said the move shows the government's sincerity in offering peace to the Moro rebels.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
The issue on the Moro's ancestral domain in Mindanao has stalled the government's peace negotiations with the MILF since last year.
"I now direct our negotiators to present our government position to the MILF so that we can resume the stalled negotiations, and hopefully hasten the signing of a final peace agreement and bring sustainable peace and development, not only to Mindanao but to the country as a whole," she said.
Arroyo admitted that the MILF is essential in the government's quest for peace in Mindanao.
On Monday, new presidential peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said he would oversee the forging of the peace agreement with the MILF "within a year."
This means that Charter change will have to be undertaken within a year as the peace agreement entails amending the 1987 Constitution to enable the establishment of the Bangsa Moro Federal Governance.
President Arroyo rallied her allies led by Armm Governor Zaldy Ampatuan, who is seeking reelection, to help her convince the rebels to return to the mainstream and achieve "lasting and permanent peace."
Normal process
In a telephone interview, MILF military spokesman Eid Kabalu welcomed the latest development but added that it has to go through the "normal process."
Kabalu said the Philippine government will have to submit its proposal to the Malaysian government first before the MILF will act on it.
He said the Malaysian government will advise them about the government's proposal.
Kabalu added that the resumption of the peace talk depends on the new proposal, noting the MILF rejected the earlier proposal, which classified areas that should be part of the groups' ancestral domain.
Rodolfo Garcia, head of the government negotiating panel, said the peace pact with the MILF may even be signed earlier.
Garcia said the panel has just come from a "lengthy period of due diligence undertaken on the issues of the consensus points, an internal process on the government."
He said the panel will "soon" present the results of their study to the President and the Cabinet, and he is confident that they will be given the green light to finally forge the peace pact through Malaysian facilitators.
Self governance
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the MILF panel wanted to exercise full control over the natural resources of the areas involved, which according to him has some constitutional problems.
"The MILF is insisting on such phrases as "self governance." They're insisting on the getting of the natural resources in the manner that they want, full control for example of the natural resources on their area, without regard for the provisions of our Constitution," he said.
He said the new government draft clearly drew the lines by inserting a provision, which provides for government control of the resources "in times of (a national) emergency."
"In case they (MILF) are given supervision and control over the natural resources in their area, the National Government will have to take over because we need to address the emergency," said Ermita.
The executive secretary appealed to the MILF to give the government a chance to prove its sincerity by sticking to the intent of the Constitution.
He said the draft, once signed by both parties, would give the MILF "some degree of security," which they deserve to have.
"We keep on bending over backwards as long as it is within our Constitution, we will give them, we will agree to them," said Ermita. (WV/JMR/With BOT of Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Dumaguete. (June 19, 2008 issue)
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