MANILA, Philippines -- The chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday called for sobriety, and urged a stop to all talk of war after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the signing of an agreement on ancestral domain between the government and Moro rebels.

Director General Avelino Razon Jr. said the public must not anticipate war and urged critics of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain to "give peace a chance."

The MOA would pave the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE), envisioned to expand on the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao through the inclusion of more than 700 villages, which will then vote in a plebiscite on whether they want to be part of the new territory.

However, the high court’s TRO, issued on Monday after officials of North Cotabato and Zamboanga City filed petitions against the MOA, stopped the scheduled signing of the agreement in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

Asked if he anticipated trouble because of the aborted MOA signing, Razon replied: "Hindi naman siguro. Dapat tulong tulong lahat ng Pilipino [I don’t think so. All Filipinos should help out] to give peace a chance. Let's not talk about war and arming our people."

He stressed that what Mindanao needs to develop is peace.

"There must be peace in Mindanao for development to come in...[that's why] we are calling for sobriety," he said.

Razon said the PNP is coordinating with the Armed Forces on peace and order in Mindanao.