COTABATO CITY, Philippines -- Peace advocates in Mindanao are urging Malaysia to stay and continue helping build peace in the south.

The Bantay Ceasefire (Ceasefire Watch), composed of about 650 peace advocates in Mindanao, also asked Malacañang to speed up the attainment of genuine peace in Mindanao.

Lawyer Mary Ann Arnado, Bantay Ceasefire head, said frustrations over the slow pace of the negotiations between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) could be one of the reasons for Malaysia’s pullout from the International Monitoring Team (IMT).

Malaysia heads the IMT, which has been monitoring a ceasefire between the years-long government and the MILF as both sides work to resume peace talks stalled by disagreements on the issue of ancestral domain.

"Until today, the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain issues has not been signed by both parties. And the Malaysian government is worried that the talks could again start from square one. That might have frustrated them so they're pulling out," Arnado told Church-run radio dxND in Kidapawan City.

Arnado, also a director of Initiatives for International Dialogue, said people are tired of armed conflict.

"The pullout will clearly have dire consequences on the lives of people in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao," Bantay Ceasefire said in a statement.

"We speak as the sons, daughters, parents, the family and friends of the victims of armed conflict in Mindanao. We speak on behalf of those who have the most at stake [in] its peaceful resolution. We speak as the ones to pick up the pieces should the peace process completely collapse," the group said.

Arnado said the track record of the IMT in the last four years shows it is crucial to the mechanism for the cessation of hostilities and to the peace process.

Before the IMT arrived, there were two “all-out wars” -- in 2000 and 2003 -- which displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians. Before these, there was major fighting in Camps Omar and Rajamuda in North Cotabato.

Since the creation of the IMT, no major fighting between government troops and the MILF has happened.

Last year, the IMT also helped avert major hostilities.

Records of the Joint Ceasefire Committees show that before the IMT started operations, there were over a thousand violations of the ceasefire agreement in 2003 and 2004.

In 2005, less than 10 violations were noted. This was attributed to the strong presence of the IMT and the commitment of the Joint Government and MILF Ceasefire Committee.

"The presence of the IMT in conflict-affected areas not only allowed the people to enjoy relative peace but also provided an environment conducive to peace negotiations. It also allowed aid agencies to operate relatively free and unhampered in the conflict-affected areas," Bantay Ceasefire said.

The IMT refused to grant interviews regarding the Malaysian pullout.

Arnado said with Malaysia, which has the largest contingent in the IMT, pulling out, other countries might move out as well. Malaysia also serves as third-party facilitator for the government-MILF talks.

Nagaishi Masafumi, Japan's senior adviser for reconstruction and development of Mindanao to the IMT, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) by phone Monday that he would finish his tour of duty in August and that there was no word from his embassy regarding his country's possible withdrawal from the peacekeeping body.

Masafumi, of Japan International Cooperation Agency, is the only Japanese in the IMT. Japan's role in the IMT is focused on the socio-economic aspect of the peace process.

"I will finish my term here until August. I'm expecting another colleague after my term but it all depends on our government," Masafumi said.

"In my opinion, it's really necessary to complete the reconstruction efforts in Mindanao," he added.

Masafumi made the clarification after reports that aside from Malaysia, Japan will also pull out in the IMT.

Eid Kabalu, civil military affairs chief of the MILF, told the Inquirer by phone that they learned about Japan's possible withdrawal from a Japanese friend although they have yet to get confirmation from the Japanese embassy in Manila.

Kabalu said the MILF was not surprised at Malaysia’s pullout because “they are tired of the slow pace of negotiations.”

He added: “We know they will still remain as main facilitator."

Meanwhile, Secretary Jesus Dureza, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, said the government, while committed to push the peace process forward, is not delaying but observing due diligence in completing the final draft of the ancestral domain agreement to ensure that can be implemented and defended from accusations of unconstitutionality.

But Khaled Musa, deputy chair of the MILF's committee on information, criticized Dureza, saying he is not the chief government peace negotiator and his statement does not carry much weight.

"If more than three years since December 2004, after the ancestral domain was put on the agenda of the talks is not too long a time to finish a single issue, then what is? Is this not a delay?" Musa asked.