MILF Vows To Pursue Self-Determination In Troubled Filipino South

Philippine military chief General Hermogenes Esperon and his Malaysian counterpart General Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal during their visit Saturday, May 3, 2008 in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines. They are assisted by Maj.Gen.Datuk Mat Yasin bin Mat Daud, head of the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 03, 2008) – Philippine Muslim rebels negotiating peace with Manila on Saturday vowed to fight for independence, as talks remain stalled over demands for ancestral domain in the troubled South.

"We are firm with our demands for self-determination. We cannot compromise our determination and our freedom," Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, the Philippine military chief, said soldiers are supportive of the peace process and also wanted peace in Mindanao. “We are all supportive of the peace process,” he said.

Esperon arrived in Maguindanao province with his Malaysian counterpart Gen. Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal and met with senior military leaders. Esperon, who is retiring next week, later spoke to soldiers and thanked them as part of his exit calls. While Zainal separately spoke to Malaysian troops who are part of the International Monitoring Team.

Peace talks had been stalled after both sides failed to agree on the scope of the ancestral domain, which is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement.

The MILF said the government peace negotiators led by Rodolfo Garcia last year agreed on the scope of the ancestral domain, but later reneged on the accord that will constitute a separate homeland for over 4 million Muslims in Mindanao, also home to about 17 million mostly Christians and other indigenous tribes.

It said Garcia completely disregarded the agreement on the ancestral domain and insisted again that the granting of homeland to Muslims in Mindanao would solely be through Constitutional process which the rebel group previously opposed. But the Philippine Constitution prohibits the dismembering of the country.

The MILF said the stance of the government peace panel virtually jeopardized the integrity of the peace process and to continue with the talks would virtually turn it into a circus.

"Under the agreement, the Muslim autonomous region will be part of the independent Bangsamoro homeland and those areas outside the region would vote on an independence referendum," Kabalu said.

He said the ancestral domain covers the whole of Muslim autonomous region and other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. And even Palawan Island in central Philippines and the Sulu Archipelago.

Malaysia which is brokering the peace talks said it would start pulling out its truce observers deployed in Mindanao if there is no progress in the negotiations.

Kabalu said the government is now building up its military firepower in Mindanao and is causing apprehension in areas where the MILF is active. "The truce and the peace talks are shaky right now and there is apprehension because of this build-up of military firepower in Mindanao and the withdrawal of the truce observers."

"The MILF will remain vigilant. We are not sure how the cease-fire will hold without the Malaysian-led international truce observers," Kabalu said, adding, the MILF respects Malaysia's decision to withdraw all its observers unless there is a significant progress in the stalled peace talks.

Murad Ebrahim, the secluded leader of the MILF, said Manila is to be blamed should the peace talks collapse. "If the peace process fails as a result of the GRP's dilly-dallying and spoiling, we are left with no choice, but to seek other means of achieving our objective. Should that happen the government is to blame for failing to settle the conflict through diplomatic means," he said.

The MILF previously appealed to rebels and supporters for patience as the talks stalled over demands for a separate Muslim homeland.

"The Philippine Government bears the responsibility to comply with its commitment to adhere to the consensus points and agreed Memorandum of Agreement draft proposal on ancestral domain. Such moves will avert the peace process from falling apart," Ebrahim said.

"Let me reiterate to all, including the international community that the MILF leadership is very serious and fully committed to resolve the conflict between the Bangsamoro people in Mindanao and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines through the current peace process," he said.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Kuala Lumpur wanted progress in the peace process. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim also said Kuala Lumpur will not be sending any more truce observers to Mindanao after the mandate of its current team ends in September. Members of the Malaysian Defense Forces had been in Mindanao since 2004 as part of the International Monitoring Team (IMT).

The monitoring team is composed of 41 officers from the Malaysian Defense Forces, the Royal Malaysia Police, and the Prime Minister's Department and is also supported by 10 military officers from Brunei Darussalam and 5 from Libya. Canada and Japan have also members on the team.

Since the IMT arrived, fighting between security and rebel forces drastically decreased from 698 armed clashes in 2004 to just 7 incidents last year.Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a regional army spokesman, doused the apprehensions of the MILF and said the military is committed to the peace process and would further strengthen the mechanism of the cease-fire agreement in Mindanao.

"Like the MILF, we are also for peace and we wanted to see an end to the conflict in Mindanao. We respect the decision of the Malaysian government to pull out its truce observers and we appreciate Malaysia's commitment to peace in Mindanao," Ando said.

Mohammad Ameen, a senior rebel leader, said the MILF will only sign a peace deal with Arroyo government if it establishes genuine governance for Muslims either in the form of "state" or "sub-state".

President Gloria Arroyo opened up peace talks with the MILF in 2001 and signed a cease-fire agreement, but some rebel commanders see the negotiations as a strategy which is aimed at temporarily stopping the hostilities in Mindanao until her term ends in 2010 and pass on the secessionist problems to the next president. (With reports from Mark Navales)