MILF urged to do more to prove it’s a trusted partner in peace

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the return of more than a dozen weapons belonging to policemen killed in an encounter in Maguindanao last month, Malacañang on Wednesday said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should do more: prove that it is a trusted partner in peace.

“Ang pagsauli ng mga armas ay bahagyang tumutugon sa naunang panawagan ni Pangulong (Benigno) Aquino na magpakita ng kongkretong katibayan ang MILF na sila ay maaaring pagkatiwalaan bilang katuwang ng pamahalaan sa prosesong pangkapayapaan,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told Palace reporters.

(The return of weapons partially meets President Benigno Aquino III’s earlier call for the MILF to show concrete evidence of that they may be trusted as a partner of the government in the peace process.)

The MILF peace panel on Wednesday returned 16 firearms taken from the members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) during a bloody encounter in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao last January 25.

However, Coloma explained that the government is still waiting for the MILF to:

• Support and not interfere in the efforts to capture Basir Usman;
• Identify and prosecute those involved in the slaying of the members of SAF-44; and
• Return other firearms and equipment, which were taken from the members of the PNP-SAF.

Nevertheless, he said the government considers it a “sign of goodwill and commitment to the peace process.”

Before the Mamasapano incident, the Philippine government and the MILF have been working together following the inking of a final peace agreement. Congress is still tackling the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law, which will pave the way for the creation of a new autonomous political entity in Mindanao.