SUB-STATE FOR MILF MAY NEED CONGRESS NOD / PALACE: MILF MEET NOY'S IDEA
MANILA, AUGUST 9, 2011 (STAR) By Delon Porcalla - While President Aquino's meeting with the leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) may have brightened prospects for peace, it might still take congressional approval for the rebel group to realize their ultimate goal of carving out a "sub-state" in Mindanao, according to the Chief Executive.
"Probably, it will take congressional action also. The bottom line is, we will inform all the stakeholders, and this is not just a Muslim problem," he told reporters in an informal briefing at Camp Crame, where he led the rites commemorating the 110th anniversary of the police service yesterday.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said there is a need to define a "sub-state."
"First, the panel (government and MILF) will have to agree on how they define the sub-state. Then, they also need to agree on what the government is committed to provide the sub-state," Abad told The STAR.
MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal explained that under a sub-state, Muslims in Mindanao would have control over major aspects of governance, except national defense, foreign affairs, currency and coinage, as well as postal services.
MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar said they have already abandoned their quest for an independent state and that what they want now is "a nation but not separate from the republic." He called the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) "inutile."
On Thursday, Aquino slipped out of the country to meet with MILF chief Al Haj Murad Ibrahim in a hotel in the suburbs of Tokyo. Officials said the only agreement reached between the two was to fast-track the peace negotiations. Malacañang declined to reveal details of the meeting.
"The details have to be with the negotiating panels as agreed upon by chairman Murad and myself," Aquino stressed shortly after his arrival in Manila.
'Problem solvers'
But in a chance interview yesterday, Aquino said he was thrilled to hear Murad refer to the government as a "problem solver" and not as an adversary.
"We are not adversaries but we are here to solve the problems," Aquino quoted Murad as saying during their meeting. "It is, I think, the best thing I heard from him during the course of the roughly two-hour meeting."
"The panels are problem solvers, iyun ang linya niya (that's his line). They are not adversaries," he reiterated.
"If there is one central message that to me really stuck, it was the idea that we're not enemies. We have to help each other solve our problem. We should concentrate on problem-solving," Aquino said.
"So we will come up with a proposal that we will present before the people. One of the things we agreed upon is how we should define 'territory.' They want a plebiscite which is also my point," Aquino said.
The next round of peace talks between the government and the MILF is scheduled on Aug. 22-24 in Malaysia.
"I would like to think that they (MILF) will be cooperative as far as improving the situation, especially in the ARMM, and in Mindanao in particular, in the way they defined this for all Bangsamoro people," he stressed.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the President asked for his advice before his Tokyo meeting with Murad.
"We support the President's initiative 100 percent. The President and I spoke before he went to Japan, I praise him for his initiative. It was a very noble and praiseworthy initiative," Del Rosario told reporters yesterday in a chance interview after leading the celebration of the 44th founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
He also said the unnamed diplomat who had called Aquino's meeting with Murad "an act of treason" was not speaking for the department.
"We obviously apologize for that statement being attributed to an official of the DFA. We're trying to ascertain who that official is and we certainly will make him or her answer for that statement," Del Rosario added.
Meeting hailed
The Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID) said the Tokyo meeting "brought Mindanao closer to elusive peace."
"We commend President Aquino for taking this bold step, which has elevated the trust and confidence of both panels that a just peace is within reach," PCID president Amina Rasul said.
"It also has to consolidate this positive, confidence building development by ensuring that no more delays attend the presentation of its counter-proposals thereby reflecting its sincerity in having the peace process move forward," Rasul said.
The ruling Liberal Party, through its president Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II, said "President Aquino has firmly placed the Mindanao peace process on the fast track with his decisive and historic meeting" with Murad in Tokyo.
"President Aquino found a way to breach the wall of distrust built up by the aborted Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) and I am glad that this has happened," Roxas said.
He was referring to the deal whose aborted signing in 2008 after its rejection by the Supreme Court triggered a killing spree by rogue elements of the MILF.
Senate committee on peace, unification and reconciliation chairman Teofisto Guingona III also defended Aquino's trip.
"After all is said and done, what is important is that we listen. So this is a very big break," Guingona said.
"Any leader who is willing to go to any lengths just for peace is a real leader to me and if it means meeting anybody then he is a true leader for the sake of peace," he added.
Concerns
For Sen. Francis Escudero, the President's meeting with Murad might embolden the leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its political wing, the National Democratic Front (NDF), to demand the same treatment.
"One of my fears is that the NDF, NPA (New People's Army) might ask for the same treatment. They might say you should also come to the Netherlands (and meet with us)," Escudero said.
"The chief negotiator of the OPAPP (Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) has no more role now that the President himself has performed their job," he added.
Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. said the government should disclose what actually took place during the meeting, especially after it was reported that the MILF would no longer pursue its secessionist bid.
But Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the President must be given enough leeway "because this is a very sensitive matter that involves national interest."
Former government chief peace negotiator Jesus Dureza said the creation of a Muslim "sub-state" as proposed by the MILF would require amending the Constitution.
"It is best that this is made clear at the outset. We must amend the Philippine Constitution if we grant this. But then, the Aquino administration has also repeatedly said publicly that it is not in favor of amending the Constitution, that it is not a priority," Dureza said.
He also said the administration should also address the MILF's rejection of ARMM.
A senior security official who declined to be named said a strengthened ARMM is more feasible than a sub-state.
"Why not just strengthen the ARRM which has already gained wide acceptance among Muslims and Christians?" he asked.
"If the government agrees to the MILF demand to create a sub-state, what could prevent the Christians or even the Lumads from also asking the national government to have their own sub-state or a full autonomy in Mindanao. It's big trouble," another security official said. With Iris Gonzales, John Unson, Marvin Sy, Rainier Allan Ronda, Pia Lee Brago, Alexis Romero, Jose Rodel Clapano, Jaime Laude, Helen Flores
MILF meeting was P-Noy's own idea, says Ochoa By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) Updated August 08, 2011 12:00 AM
[PHOTO OF THE MORO ISLAMIC LIBERATION FRONT (MILF]
MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino prevailed over his reluctant Cabinet members in his decision to meet Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Al Haj Murad Ibrahim secretly in a hotel in Tokyo, Japan last Friday, it was learned yesterday.
In an interview with former Senate president Ernesto Maceda's "Mr. Expose" program in radio dzRJ, a broadcast partner of The STAR, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. explained that the peace process was something "personal" to his boss.
"It was the President's own idea," he said of the meeting, which government chief MILF negotiator Marvic Leonen described as "out of the box," and which many Mindanao leaders have commended.
Ochoa said the President's move was proof that the government is sincere in its peace efforts. He said Aquino feels strongly about talking peace with the Muslim rebels, which has in fact historical roots, like what his mother – the late President Cory Aquino – did during her tenure, when she met Nur Misuari in Jolo, Sulu in 1987.
The executive secretary downplayed insinuations that Aquino was not satisfied with the way Leonen and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles have been handling the peace talks, but pointed out that it was one opportunity Aquino would want to show the MILF.
He said positive developments were apparent during the course of discussions such that the President was encouraged to participate personally.
The Palace official brushed aside criticisms over the hush-hush meeting, noting that the most important thing is that the conversation brought the two sides to agree to fast-track the peace process and end the decades-long conflict in Mindanao.
"The more important reason here - at one time or another - this is one legacy he (Aquino) would like to leave behind in his term… for us to achieve peace. This is really personal to him," Ochoa stressed.
Palace hits envoy's anti-Noy remark
Meanwhile, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte described as "undiplomatic and unintelligent" the remark of an unknown diplomat who opposed the idea of Aquino's Tokyo meeting with the MILF leader, warning it is a basis for treason.
"It (article) was cited in a broadsheet and it was cited as the diplomat speaking as a source. That remark is cowardly, it's undiplomatic, and it's unintelligent," she said over state radio dzRB.
Valte said the last president who talked directly with the rebels from Mindanao was former President Corazon Aquino.
"And after her nobody dared, but President Aquino did it," she said.
She expressed confidence that the anonymous diplomat was "alone" in her dissent and that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stands by the President.
"They said this person is alone in having those sentiments and that the DFA does not share the same sentiments. And, from what we know, the DFA is also looking into the identity of this supposed source if there was such a diplomat," Valte said.
No more independent state
Leonen, also UP law dean, said over the weekend that the MILF had already abandoned its quest for an independent state in Mindanao before meeting President Aquino.
"To be sincere does not mean surrender," Leonen said over dzRB, emphasizing that the only agreement made at the meeting was to fast-track the peace negotiations.
Unlike in the botched memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) between the Arroyo administration and the MILF in 2008, Leonen said the geographical areas that the MILF would like to comprise its "sub-state" would no longer cover highly contentious ones.
Many had opposed the MOA-AD because its implementation would have entailed amendments to the Constitution and place under MILF jurisdiction several barangays within Christian-dominated provinces.
Rogue elements of the MILF went on a killing rampage in some areas in Mindanao after the Supreme Court declared the MOA-AD unconstitutional in 2008.
Leonen said the talks would focus on achieving a "politically, economically and socially" feasible agreement, adding that the government peace panel had done the needed spadework before the President's meeting with Murad.
This included meeting with political leaders, civil society groups and even the military to get their side on the issue.
He said only "political naysayers" would disparage the President's gesture, which was a "positive step forward" as far as the peace talks were concerned.
Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II, a close friend of Aquino and a staunch critic of the MOA-AD when he was senator, said the President's trip was his "personal effort" at securing peace for Mindanao.
MILF: We want a 'sub-state'
A day after the Tokyo meeting, MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar said they were no longer seeking the creation of an independent state.
"We want a nation but not separate from the republic. It must have power to govern but not above the power of the Philippine government," he said in statement.
He said the MILF told the President that they want a Bangsamoro state not like the ARMM, which is inutile. "The peace process is now on the straight, sa matuwid na daan," he said, echoing Aquino's promise of a straight path in government dealings. "We saw seriousness in him in facing and talking to us. With this meeting, I'd say that other members of the Central Committee who were doubtful were encouraged."
Jaafar said the MILF leadership presented their position on the peace process and talking points to the President and his party while his group also presented the government's talking points.
"All that was discussed was about the peace process, how to find solutions and how to develop Muslim Mindanao," he said.
"The discussion gave a shot, like an injection because it could bring a renewed hope… I hope this could strengthen the talks," he said, expressing cautious optimism that negotiations have yet to be completed.
Jaafar said they are hopeful that a peace agreement would be signed within the Aquino administration. He, however, admitted that they are not completely confident due to the state of politics in the country.
"We are not 100 percent confident because there are things that we have to consider in the state of politics in the Philippines," he said, noting that the opposition tries to find loopholes in the President's policies.
"In Philippine politics, the focus of some politicians is on the next election even if an election has just been conducted,' Jaafar said.
He said he could not provide details about the topics covered by the meeting in Tokyo but gave assurance that the focus of discussions was all about the Mindanao issue.
MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal also said they would push for a "sub-state" instead of an independent state.
He explained that under a sub-state, Mindanao Muslims would have control over major aspects of governance, except national defense, foreign affairs, currency and coinage, as well as postal services.
The Tokyo meeting was lauded by the military, saying it will boost the ceasefire between troops and the rebels on the ground.
Unprecedented, historic
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. defended yesterday President Aquino for his unprecedented move of meeting the MILF leadership, saying it was necessary to jumpstart the "slow-moving" peace process.
"What the President did was a huge step forward for the peace process," Belmonte said in a telephone interview. "Before it was slow-moving, but now it has been spurred by that historic meeting."
The Speaker downplayed criticisms over Aquino's secret meeting because "he acted in the way the Filipino people expected him to do as President."
"We should get used to the fact that the President thinks out of the box. Now the prospects of having a peace agreement are very good," Belmonte said. Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers' Association party-list Rep. Arnel Ty also welcomed Aquino's move to meet with Murad.
"The President's gesture clearly demonstrates that he is prepared to go out of his way to build peace – that government is willing to walk the extra mile to engage in substantial talks and hopefully settle the dispute with the MILF," he said.
House Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, on the other hand, urged Aquino to immediately disclose to the public details of his meeting in the spirit of transparency.
"While the furtive presidential trip to Tokyo is no longer a secret, much of what transpired or what was discussed in the meeting between the President and MILF chieftain Murad remain under wraps," Lagman said.
"Secrets may be maintained between lovers, but there should be no secrets between the President and the Filipino people," he said.
He said after the meeting, which reportedly lasted for two hours, "the bits and pieces of information which trickled to media are scanty and stereotyped."
"The House Minority supports the President's initiative for a peaceful settlement of the decades-old armed conflict in Muslim Mindanao, but we cannot support a peace agenda whose parameters are nebulous and whose terms of engagement and possible agreement are concealed," Lagman said.
He added that since any negotiation and settlement with the MILF would involve national security, Aquino must convene the National Security Council, which he has not yet done despite security concerns like the dispute over the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea. Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said the meeting between the President and the leaders of the MILF could gain much-needed fresh impetus for Mindanao.
"An atmosphere of trust and well intentions between the two parties could now provide the needed boost to development initiatives in Mindanao," he said, expressing optimism that the move would foster much-needed development in the region. Estrada has also been pushing for a railway system network covering strategic areas of the country, including Mindanao, to further advance trade and facilitate investments in the region. – Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez, Michael Punongbayan, Raymund Catindig, Alexis Romero, Roel Pareño
FROM JOURNAL.COM.PH - http://www.journal.com.ph/
DFA behind P-Noy to talk peace with MILF Published : Sunday, August 07, 2011 00:00 Article Views : 89 Written by : Cristina Lee-Pisco
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said the officials and personnel of the department is fully behind the efforts of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III to talk peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
A statement was issued by the DFA after an unnamed diplomat remarked that Aquino's meeting with the MILF chief was "an act of treason."
"The unnamed diplomat who remarked that the President's meeting with the MILF chief was 'an act of treason' does not speak for the Department of Foreign Affairs. The officials and the entire personnel of DFA are fully behind the President in his efforts to fast forward the peace process including his out-of-the-box initiatives to bring about real, just and lasting peace in southern Philippines," the statement said.
"The DFA will conduct an investigation to identify the errant official who will be subjected to appropriate disciplinary action."
The diplomat said that the DFA was left out of the loop when Aquino met the MILF chief.
"A President is not supposed to go on secret missions. A head of state can never be the equal of a rebel leader, but he probably does not know that. He should be meeting with someone on his level," the diplomat said.
On Thursday night, the President left the country unannounced to hold unprecedented talks with a Muslim rebel leader in Japan.
Aquino met with Murad Ebrahim, chair of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), for two hours in a hotel near the Narita airport in Tokyo.
They discussed ways to push the peace process forward, said Teresita Quintos-Deles, the presidential peace adviser, who was with Aquino in Tokyo.
An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not directly involved in the talks, said the meeting was meant to give the peace talks "a shot in the arm" and show support from the "highest level."
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