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The government said it will rely on local peace stakeholders to
maintain peace in Mindanao as Malaysian peace monitors start their
phased withdrawal, Presidential adviser on the peace process Jesus
Dureza said.
He noted that with local peace stakeholders
demonstrating greater determination in sustaining the peace, the
downsizing of Malaysian peace monitors would not result to a
breakdown in the ceasefire mechanism.
“The government continues to be committed to
upholding the primacy of the peace process. To squander the gains in
the peace negotiations thus far achieved is definitely not an option
of the government,” he said, adding that he is confident the MILF
share the same view.
The government said these times require sober
calls for calm and restraint on the part of everybody and we should
not feed on the public’s apprehension adding statements that
stroke the anxieties and fears of our people do not serve the
interest of peace.
Dureza conferred with key officials and local
leaders in Cotabato City over the weekend and discussed the impact
of the phased withdrawal of the Malaysian contingent in the
International Monitoring Team.
Meanwhile, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was
reported girding for battle as the Muslim separatist group accuses
the Arroyo administration of “reverting to war” by reneging on
its promise to honor the government’s agreement with the MILF on
ancestral domain.
In a statement on its Website on Sunday, MILF
chairman Muhammad Ameen said that while the MILF did not want war,
it was poised to prepare for it because of the Arroyo
administration’s failure to continue peace negotiations that
hinged on the ancestral domain issue.
“We do not like war, war is a menace to
everyone, but for those who want peace to prevail [they] must
prepare for war…Readiness and preparedness are normal tasks in a
revolutionary struggle such as [that of] the MILF,” he said.
Ameen issued the statement after it was reported
that 29 Malaysian peacekeepers left the Philippines as peace talks
with the Muslim rebels remain stalled.
The MILF has already rejected a reported
government plan to tap bishops and ulamas to oversee the truce
between itself and the Philippine government.
The separatist group said the move is
“cheap” and a “letdown” for men of faith like bishops and
ulamas, who are not supposed to clean up the government’s mess.
Designating interfaith groups to maintain peace
and order like policemen after the government intentionally defile
the peace process is absurd, it added.
Dureza said the government plans to tap the
Bishops Ulama Conference (BUC) to help monitor the ceasefire.
If the plan pushes through, the BUC would
effectively replace the Malaysian contingent to the International
Monitoring Team that will withdraw from the Philippines.
-- Angelo S. Samonte
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