121 execs ‘loyal’ to PH, says Hataman

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

COTABATO CITY—After questioning the declaration of independence of Mindanao by Moro rebel leader Nur Misuari,  Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Saturday said all the town mayors and five provincial governors in the region remained loyal to the Constitution.

Hataman said the 116 mayors in the ARMM provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi were not affected by what he described as an unconstitutional act of Misuari, chair of one of the three factions of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

“All the elected officials of the region do not recognize Misuari’s declaration and they remained supportive of the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),” Hataman told reporters on Saturday.

In the same breath, he said all Moro leaders were supportive of President Aquino’s efforts to complete the tripartite review of the GPH-MNLF peace agreement.

“All the leaders are looking forward to a successful completion of the GPH-MILF peace talks,” Hataman said, adding that the police and military authorities in ARMM are closely watching the movements of the MNLF, especially in the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

Early this week, Misuari reportedly “declared” in Sulu the independence of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan with Davao City as its seat of power.

Misuari had been rattling about the signing of the Bangsamoro framework agreement, claiming it was a product of conspiracy between Manila, the MILF and Malaysia aimed at downplaying the Sabah issue.

Former Cotabato City Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema, chair of the biggest MNLF faction, refused to comment on Misuari’s declaration.

But in previous interviews in the face of the signing of the Bangsamoro framework agreement, Sema had repeatedly stressed that the MNLF had not turned its back on the 1996 final peace agreement.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) said the Aquino government was committed to fulfill the  final peace agreement that the Ramos government entered into with the MNLF in 1996.

In a statement, Opapp Undersecretary Jose Lorena said the government had no intention of abrogating or abandoning the agreement, as it continued to engage positively with the Misuari-led MNLF.

“The Aquino administration has always engaged  the MNLF since 2010 and will continue to do so under the existing mechanism as we have conveyed to the OIC-PCSP (Organization of Islamic Cooperation–Peace Committee for Southern Philippines),” Lorena said.

Misuari and his contingent had always been invited as they were “present in the Tripartite Implementation Review meetings and other related gatherings over the past three years,” he said.

The government, MNLF, and  OIC have been engaging in a tripartite review of the implementation of the final peace agreement since 2007. The review process is being facilitated by the OIC-PCSP, which is chaired by Indonesia.

“As far as the GPH (government  of the Philippines) is concerned, we are not aware of any reason for them to claim that the  government has abandoned them. Our aim has always been to complete the Tripartite Implementation Review so that we can move forward with concrete actions toward the development of MNLF communities, which we have already started,” he pointed out.

“We encourage Mr. Misuari to be a partner in ensuring the welfare of MNLF communities and actively engage with us in the drafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law which will include the agenda of the MNLF,” he added.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles earlier clarified that the government’s main objective in pushing for the completion of the tripartite review was to start the implementation process for the consensus points and mechanisms that the parties had  agreed on.

“We have already informed the OIC through the chair and members of the [Peace Committee for Southern Philippines chaired by Indonesia] that we think it is time to draw a conclusion to the review process,” she said. Edwin Fernandez and Charlie C. Señase, Inquirer Mindanao