MANILA, Philippines—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wants the disarming and demobilization of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels part of the talking points when peace negotiations resume.

The President said on Monday night that the issue of disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation (DDR) should be part of the comprehensive agreement of the two sides and she would enlist the help of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on this matter.

She said Blair “who is willing to come help us” had taken part in the brokering of peace in Northern Ireland.

“This early we must begin to talk about it (DDR). We can’t sweep it under the rug and when finished [forging a peace pact], they will [suddenly] not want to lay down their arms,” Ms Arroyo told reporters in Pampanga.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said the DDR guarantee was crucial because of recent attacks on civilian communities by three MILF commanders who were apparently frustrated over problems in the negotiations.

Memo on DDR

When the government signed a landmark 1996 peace accord with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)—the main Islamic rebel group in the southern Philippines at the time—there was no provision for disarmament, Esperon said. Many of the guerrillas retained their firearms and MNLF rebels attacked troops after the accord was signed.

“That’s one of the lessons learned,” he said. “A final peace agreement must have terms on disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation.”

The President had issued a one-page memorandum to Esperon on the need for DDR in the peace talks and other directives on how the government should move forward in the peace process.

In her memo dated Aug. 19, she stressed that DDR “will be the overall framework governing our engagements with armed groups in peace talks... DDR, as espoused by the communities, will be a notice to armed groups of their rejection of armed struggle; and a way of showing that the force of arms does not entitle them to represent our people.”

Ms Arroyo said the conflict in Lanao del Norte that resulted from attacks by MILF forces on communities there “highlighted the need for a new premise on our peace efforts.”

She stressed that the government will now focus not only on negotiating with armed groups “but more importantly, on authentic dialogues with the people in the communities” and that these dialogues will be “centered on ending all forms of armed rebellion in the country.”

Consult the people

“By talking directly with the people, we aim to generate a national consensus against armed struggle as a means of achieving political and societal change,” the President said. “The parameters governing our negotiations, particularly in defining societal change, will be a balance between constitutionality and public sentiment.”

As for the controversial memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain, she said the government would “assume a supporting role and let credible institutions supportive of the peace effort spearhead the consultations.”

The President directed Esperon to help in the consultations and dialogues to be undertaken by Mindanao-based bishops and the Ulama League of the Philippines, which she had earlier prodded to give the government a hand in moving forward the peace process.

In an interview with reporters in Pampanga, Ms Arroyo said the capture of MILF commanders Ombra Kato and Abdullah Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, was not a condition for the resumption of the talks.

Although the President conceded it would be a sign of good faith on the part of the MILF leadership to surrender the two commanders wanted for the bloody attacks in Central Mindanao, she stressed it was the duty of law enforcers to pursue them. With a report from The Associate Press