Shun ousted MILF leader as ARMM OIC, Aquino urges

Officials and allies of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, including its former spokesperson Eid Kabalu, should not be appointed caretakers in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao until a final peace agreement has been reached with the government, according to lawmakers.

“The President will be in an awkward position if he is seen rewarding the MILF with a ranking position in the ARMM even before a peace pact is in place. Does the MILF even recognize the ARMM?” Bayan Muna Representative Teodoro Casiño asked in a phone interview.

Dasmarinas City Representative Elpidio Barzaga said that allowing MILF to take control of the ARMM, even on an interim basis, would bolster perception that the administration was giving everything to the rebel group without getting any in return just for the sake of reaching a peace agreement .

Optimistic

“Why are we giving in to all of their demands when the MILF leadership has not shown any proof that it has control of its troops and followers? Let the MILF prove that they can deliver the peace the government wanted before we give in to their demands,” said Barzaga in a phone interview.

Kabalu is optimistic that he would be chosen from among 40 applicants bidding to become officer-in-charge of the ARMM for the next 20 months after Congress approved the postponement of the ARMM elections scheduled this month and synchronize it with the 2013 national elections.

President Aquino has said he was keen about implementing reforms in the region during the OIC’s term.

Kabalu was reportedly kicked out by the MILF leadership a few months ago after he declared his aspiration to be the ARMM officer-in-charge, which would make him the region’s de facto governor.

But most lawmakers doubt that the long-time MILF spokesperson has really severed his ties with the group.

Widely coveted

Barzaga pointed out that while the MILF had ostensibly rejected the existence of an autonomous state, MILF chair Murad Ebrahinm had written the House of Representatives expressing his support for the deferment of the ARMM elections and the appointment of OICs last February, or five months before the President and his Cabinet flew to Japan to hold their historic meeting.

The post of ARMM OIC-governor is widely coveted because it would give the appointee the advantage of the incumbent in the 2013 elections.

Both Casiño and Barzaga have criticized the MILF for demanding  the creation of a substate, which requires approval by Congress, as part of its demands before signing a peace agreement.