MANILA, Philippines—Malacańang said President Macapagal-Arroyo planned to reconstitute the government peace panel that would include “fresh minds” to propose a new approach toward resolving the Mindanao conflict.
More than 200 people have been reported killed in the fighting between soldiers and MILF rebels, which coincided with setbacks in the peace talks. The death toll included an estimated 125 rebels, according to the military.
“When the peace panel is reconstituted—depending on positive development—then we will have fresh minds to come up with fresh approach to issues as a result of the thorough review conducted by the OPAPP,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, referring to the Office of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).
Ermita said Ms Arroyo was still waiting for the ruling of the Supreme Court on a petition from Mindanao officials and opposition politicians seeking to nullify the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain between the government and the MILF.
The proposed deal calling for an expanded Bangsamoro homeland with wide powers has touched off an uproar from various groups, which fear it could fragment the Philippines.
“Much would depend on the action of the Supreme Court,” Ermita said on the phone.
“With due respect to the final action of the SC, the President is reserving further action on the peace process with the MILF.”
Shifting focus
In the wake of the controversy, Ms Arroyo has unveiled a so-called “new paradigm of peace” shifting the focus of the peace process from talks with armed groups to “authentic dialogues” with concerned communities.
Chief MILF negotiator Mohagher Iqbal has said he hopes that peace talks would resume soon, saying the alternative is war, which he said the MILF does not want.
Although Malacańang says the government will no longer sign the MOA in “whatever form,” Ermita said Ms Arroyo could not announce any bold initiatives to bring the peace process back on track while the issue of the constitutionality of the MILF’s demand for its own Bangsamoro homeland hung in the balance.
There’s also Ms Arroyo’s demand for the MILF leadership to show sincerity by condemning the murderous rampage of its commanders in Mindanao, he said.
Ermita pointed out that Ms Arroyo had made it clear early on that the government panel should negotiate within the framework of the Constitution and the laws of the land.
No intention
He cited the “Revised Guidelines on the Peace Talks with the MILF” signed by Ms Arroyo in 2003.
Quoting from the guidelines, Ermita said the “negotiations shall be conducted in accordance with the mandates of the Philippine Constitution and the rule of law and the principles of sovereignty, territory and national unity of the Republic of the Philippines.”
“Therefore, how can anyone now say that the government will agree to provisions that will cause the dismemberment of our country and jeopardize national sovereignty? Clearly, there’s no such intention,” he said.
Ermita said the objective of the government peace panel was to clear the way for the MILF to return to the mainstream of society.
He claimed the decision to sign the MOA in Malaysia in a scheduled ceremony last month that was later scrapped was done only in an executive session between the two panels, not during formal negotiations.
Church call
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the government and the MILF should continue the peace negotiations.
Speaking over Radio Veritas, Lagdameo said the break in the talks should be seen as an “opportunity” to thresh out the contentious issues. With a report from Kristine L. Alave
