MILF panel sets peace dialogues

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY— Fresh from exploratory talks with the government in Kuala Lumpur last week, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has scheduled a second series of “peace dialogues” with various sectors in the country.

The first round was conducted several weeks before the April 27-28 meeting.

Jun Mantawil, chief of the MILF peace panel secretariat, said the group’s peace panel would consult “with Catholic, Protestant and indigenous peoples, as well as non-Moro nongovernment organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and people’s organizations (POs).”

These will be held in Manila, Zamboanga, Pagadian, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities. Another leg is planned for the island provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.

Iligan and Zamboanga are bastions of the opposition to the proposed Bangsamoro homeland deal, which was aborted in 2008.

The Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) will facilitate the dialogues, Mantawil said in a statement. The same NGO oversaw the process during the first round of consultations.

During the earlier meetings, the MILF noted the “lack of information about the peace process, especially regarding the issues of land ownership and religion” within the context of its proposed political settlement with the government, Mantawil said.

People were anxious to know what would happen to the lands being occupied by migrants once a Bangsamoro substate is established, he said.

In a parallel thrust, the government peace panel has vowed to continue consultations with various stakeholders to broaden support for the peace process and provide more inputs in crafting its version of a political settlement with the Moro rebels. <strong><em>Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao</em></strong>