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Thursday, October 16, 2008
MILF exec slams media for death of homeland deal
DAVAO CITY -- Former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel chairman Michael Mastura blamed the media for the cancellation of the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).
Mastura rudely interrupted the media interview of current MILF peace panel chair Mohaqher Iqbal and accused mediamen present of blowing the MOA-AD issue out of proportion, causing its demise.
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Reporters were asking Iqbal of the MILF's preparations to ensure the protection of civilians with the impending government manhunt on the group of MILF commander Ameril Umbra Kato when Mastura barged in and cut the interview.
He said the interview has to end as the media were "asking the same questions all over again."
"You just want to write about war, that there will be war. You want him to say that," Mastura said to a shocked group.
Iqbal could only express his apologies through gestures before Mastura dragged him away to be interviewed by Japanese journalists who were covering the Asian Youth Leaders Summit, an initiative of the Asian Convention of Religions for Peace (ACRP).
Both Iqbal and Mastura were speakers for the youth forum.
Iqbal, during the media interview, said the MILF is not affected by the Supreme Court's (SC) decision declaring the MOA-AD unconstitutional.
"Panghahawakan namin yan at dadalhin sa international forum (We will handle and bring it to the international forum). The ancestral domain issue stays even if the MOA-AD is declared unconstitutional. It does not solve the problem," Iqbal said in an interview Wednesday.
Iqbal added that the Asian Youth Leaders Summit is the start of their campaign to be heard internationally as there are slim chances of the parties to go back to the negotiation table.
"The talks has collapsed in the realistic sense but in principle, existing pa rin kasi andito pa kami (it is still existing since we are still here)," Iqbal said.
"How can we resume talks when they changed their peace policy with a unilateral decision? Sa peace process, kailangan kung meron mang babaguhin (in a peace process if there will be changes), it has to be the decision of both parties," he added.
Iqbal said even the Bishops-Ulama Conference, which was tasked to revive the talks, cannot make them negotiate for with the government again.
"If they represent the government, we will not talk to them. Only when they act as an independent organization shall we accept their help," Iqbal said.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, on the other hand, said the government respects the right of the MILF to raise the scuttle MOA-AD issue before international bodies, but added the government is in no way worried about this plan as the MILF does not have any legal basis to do so.
Puno said he was in fact happy with the SC's decision declaring the MOA-AD unconstitutional because its central message was on the necessity of consulting local government units (LGUs), which the DILG had already been doing in Mindanao upon the instruction of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself.
He noted that as legal experts themselves -- and even Mastura, who is a senior member of the MILF negotiating panel -- have pointed out, the MOA-AD wasn't a done deal yet as any agreement would still have to go through a plebiscite for final approval.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita meanwhile said the government would no longer appeal the SC decision.
Ermita said Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera instead would file a manifestation stating that the things contained in the high court's decision are actually happening already and have started even before the SC issued a ruling.
"A new paradigm shift had been issued and the two important things about the paradigm shift in negotiations with the MILF are focused not only on the armed groups but also on dialogues with communities. The negotiation should be undertaken in the context of disarmament, disbandment and reintegration of forces," he said.
Ermita said the dialogues are now being done at different levels, both with the local government executives in the area and with the civil sector representing the different communities in Mindanao.
In a related development, 200 lawless MILF fighters led by Umbra Kato assaulted Tuesday a village of Pigkawayan, North Cotabato, leaving a civilian killed and driving some 100 families to flee their homes.
Pigkawayan Mayor Jun Garseza said the families were forced to evacuate to safer grounds after fugitive MILF members attacked Sitio Hacienda Maria, Barangay Balogo.
Garseza said Kato commanded the armed rebel separatists.
Kato had a P10-million bounty for his capture so he could face criminal cases filed against him.
Garseza reported the MILF rebels indiscriminately fired their guns startling residents and prompting them to panic and leave their respective homes.
He identified the slain victim as Salvador Brigido, a civilian auxiliary member.
He said the rebels swiftly fled the Hacienda Maria area after their attack. (GLP/Sun.Star Davao/PNA/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (October 16, 2008 issue)
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