Government, MILF ink pact for peaceful village polls

THE government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed Thursday an agreement to help ensure the conduct of honest, orderly and peaceful barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Monday.

The signing rites was held at the Cotabato City Headquarters of the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team (IMT), the international body that monitors the security, socio-economic, humanitarian and rehabilitation, civilian protection components of the GRP–MILF peace process.

MILF, on its website Friday, said “The purpose is to safeguard the GRP-MILF Agreement on the General Cessation of Hostilities, Security Aspect of the GRP–MILF Agreement on Peace of June 2001…the GRP-MILF Peace Process, in general, from adverse effects and repercussions while the government ensures the conduct of honest, orderly and peaceful elections on October 25, 2005.”

The undertaking between the government and MILF can greatly help the efforts of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Under the agreement, the two Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCHs) in cooperation with the IMT and its Civilian Protection Team, the Local Monitoring Teams (LMTs), and Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Post (JCMP) “shall undertake heightened/special ceasefire-related functions in order to safeguard the GRP–MILF Ceasefire Accord and the Peace Process."

Said Shiek, chairman of MILF CCCH said “our peace panel instructed us to collaborate on this undertaking as a goodwill and confidence building measure for the peace process between the government and MILF.”

The guidelines for mutual understanding signed by Shiek, MGen Sealana, and MGen Datuk Baharom bin Hamzah, head of Mission of IMT, will be implemented staring October 23 and shall cease to effect on October 27, 2010. (Sunnex)

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