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Arroyo mulls ‘Muslim homeland’ as peace gesture

By GENALYN D. KABILING

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

President Arroyo yesterday said the government is ready to discuss a proposed "Muslim homeland" in a bid to ease the conflict in Mindanao.

The President made the peace gesture alongside six new "security directives" to address the situation in the restive South during the 16th annual general assembly of the Federation of Philippine Industries at the Hotel Intercontinental in Makati City.

The President said the government intends to preserve the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) even as security forces launched "full offensives against terrorist cells" in Sulu province.

"If it would not adversely affect the Philippine negotiating position and cause alarm among Christians, a pilot implementation of the envisioned ‘Muslim ancestral domain regime’ should be undertaken to demonstrate our sincerity to achieve peace," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"We’ve declared ‘ancestral domain’ among indigenous peoples, and I don’t see why anybody should be scared if there is ‘ancestral domain’ for our Muslim people," she said.

The establishment of "ancestral domains," which refer to the MILF demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland, has been a key stumbling block to peace talks between the government and the separatist group.

Last September, the two camps suspended peace negotiations over disagreements on the areas to include in the proposed "Muslim self-rule region."

While the government appeared to have softened on the question of "ancestral domain," the President refused to stop the pursuit operations against the Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu and the suspects in the beheading of 10 Marines in Basilan last month, despite appeals from various sectors.

The President, however, assured the nation that the military offensives are aimed only at the militants, adding her government would avoid a wider war in Mindanao.

Mrs. Arroyo directed the military and police "to keep the Basilan and Sulu operations firmly controlled to minimize civilian casualties" and respect the four-year-old ceasefire agreement with the MILF.

She also wanted "urgent talks" with the MILF under the auspices of the Malaysian government "to resolve the Basilan-Sulu situation."

The President asked government peace negotiators to make clear with their MILF counterparts that the "government has to secure its forces in areas as part of peace efforts and law enforcement, but will not overrun MILF areas."

The Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) Committee of Eight must also be informed of the "limited military operations" as well as the peace and development budgets for Basilan, Sulu, and other provinces in Mindanao, the President said.

The President said the Bishops- Ulama Conference and other religious and civil society groups should be harnessed to work for peace against forces and ideologies promoting violence in the South.

In an unprecedented step, the President has ordered that the Philippine Army’s headquarters be temporarily moved from Manila to the southern port city of Zamboanga to back up the offensives.

Arroyo said she expects Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino to lead "the punitive actions against those who maim and kill, but study the peaceful overtures of those who will demonstrate remorse."

Tolentino, who will retire from the service next month, would end his career as the "defender of the flag," the President said.

Muslim leaders welcome peace move

By EDD K. USMAN

Muslim leaders led by House Deputy Speaker Simeon A. Datumanong yesterday welcomed President Arroyo’s assurance that government would preserve the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite the continuing offensive of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against the Abu Sayyaf on the islands of Basilan and Sulu.

In a speech before businessmen in Makati City yesterday, Mrs. Arroyo revealed "security directives" that included continuing peace talks with the MILF with the possibility of the "pilot implementation" of a "Muslim ancestral domain regime."

"I am happy that the peace process between the government and the MILF will soon convene again so that they can move forward. I am hoping that the situation now obtaining in Basilan province and in Sulu province will ease up because it is always good that we solve all problems on peace and order matter through the peaceful Filipino way," said Datumanong.

The Maguindanao solon said resolving through dialogue the issues in the two war-torn provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will prevent further losses of life and damage to property as well as strengthen ties among Filipinos.

Sultan Yahya Tomawis, executive director of the Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA), said the President has again shown her sincerity in attaining peace and progress in Mindanao.

"I call on our fellow Muslims, in particular, and all Filipinos in general, to support President Arroyo and her administration in the effort to win peace and economic prosperity," Tomawis said.

The OMA official lauded Arroyo for differentiating the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the MILF from the Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Datumanong said following the 1996 peace accord between the government and the MNLF, any problem between them should be resolved through already-established mechanisms.

"I hope the MNLF and the MILF have in their agenda the growth and development of our Mindanao, where Muslims and Christians co-exist," said Datumanong.

MILF peace panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal said resuming the peace process is always a better alternative than a shooting war.

"The MILF is glad with President Arroyo’s announced measure to quicken the pace and to preserve the peace talks," said Iqbal, who noted that the MILF-government talks was to have resumed today, August 14.

"As of now, there is no alternative schedule yet to replace Aug. 14, but the MILF as always is ready to face our counterparts in the negotiation," said Iqbal.

Teodoro: Offensives against Abu Sayyaf to continue

By ARIS R. ILAGAN

Defense Secretary Gilbert C. Teodoro yesterday said the military will not cease operations against the Abu Sayyaf and other lawless elements in Basilan and Sulu amid calls from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) for a stop to the offensives.

"We cannot stop operations against the Abu Sayyaf Group and the lawless elements," Teodoro said during his first command conference attended by top officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) led by AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

"The only time, perhaps, the military operations can cease is if the Abu Sayyaf puts down their guns and surrender because we have a mandate not only . . . to bring them before the fold of justice, but to bring peace and security to the peace-loving people of the affected areas," he said.

Teodoro, who assumed the leadership of the Department of National Defense (DND) last Wednesday, said he was instructed by the President to continue with the military offensive while taking measures to limit civilian casualties.

He said the President emphasized the need to safeguard the welfare of families displaced by the fighting.

During his visit to Zamboanga City last Sunday, Teodoro told military commanders in Basilan and Sulu to talk with local government officials on how to help the people who fled the fighting.

"We cannot let our guards down against the lawless elements who will take advantage of the fact, perhaps, when military operations will cease to perpetuate their criminal activities. We cannot do that," Teodoro said.

Teodoro was reacting to the appeals made by the MNLF and MILF for the military to stop their offensives and allow the peace negotiations to proceed.

MNLF secretary general Muslimin Sema asked government to suspend operations in Sulu, saying the authorities should resume the much-delayed tripartite talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to review the 1996 GRP-MNLF Final Peace Agreement.

The MNLF secretariat meanwhile asked government to free former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari to ease the tension in Mindanao.