Muslim rebs thank Francis for pro-peace words

ILIGAN CITY—A Muslim guerrilla group that is in the tail end of a peace process with the government expressed thanks to Pope Francis for the few lines that he devoted to the aspirations for peace of the people of Mindanao, particularly Moros.

“Thank you, Pope Francis,” said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in its website. “We know how much value and influence your words (carry),” it said.

“The moral suasion penetrates the heart and soul of every Filipino Catholic, including those in the highest echelons of government,” it added.

Before leaving Rome for Sri Lanka, his first stop before the Philippines, cited the Mindanao peace process in a statement before the diplomatic corps.

“I note with pleasure that last March, an agreement was signed to end long years of tension in the Philippines,” the Pope said.

Teresita Quintos-Deles, presidential adviser on the peace process, described the Pope’s support for peace in Mindanao as a “blessing.”

Deles, in a separate statement, said Francis’ “words of encouragement” come at a critical time as Congress deliberates on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which would create a new Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

“We ask for continuing papal prayer, blessing, and hope as we continue to strengthen dialogue and forge partnerships toward a peace where no one will be left behind,” she added.

The BBL would be the principal instrument for implementing the peace agreement between MILF and the government.

The proposed law had received the support of at least 14 of 18 surviving members of the constitutional commission that crafted the 1987 Constitution in the early years of the first Aquino administration.

In a statement, the 14 constitutional framers said “the vision, spirit and the core principles behind the provisions on autonomous regions constitute the essential constitutionality of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.” Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao