MILF ready for peace talks, names negotiators

MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim and his deputy Mohagher Iqbal. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 13, 2010) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said it is ready to resume peace talks with Manila.

The announcement came with the MILF retaining Mohagher Iqbal, a senior rebel leader, as the head of its peace panel. The MILF also named lawyer Datu Michael Mastura, Maulana Alonto, Abdullah Camlian, Professor Abhoud Swed Linga, Datu Antonio Kinoc, as members of the peace panel.

Two prominent members, lawyers Lanang Ali and Musib Buat, were replaced due to health concerns. Both lawyers underwent heart bypasses and are deemed unfit for long travel, hectic schedules, and strenuous, prolonged, and tiring negotiations, said Mohammad Ameen, chairman of the MILF Secretariat.

Camlian, the MILF said, was a former chairman of the MILF technical committee, and at times served as alternate member of the peace panel during negotiations with the Arroyo government.

Camlian is a native of Zamboanga City and Basilan and belongs to the Sama-Bangingi-Tausug tribe. Kinoc on the other hand is a member of the indigenous B’laan tribe from Sultan Kudarat province and had served in the past in the MILF technical working group and the front’s technical committee, while Lingga is the chairman of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies.

The MILF said it also formed a board of consultants, but their names were not made public, although two of its members are women – one represents indigenous tribes and the other an Islamic theologian.

Peace talks between the Manila and the MILF, which is fighting for decades for self-determination, was temporarily suspended in June after President Gloria Arroyo, who ended her term, stepped down without new agreements that would put an end to decades of bloody fighting in the restive region of Mindanao.

But new Filipino leader Benigno Aquino III said he would resume the negotiations after the holy month of Ramadan.

The MILF chieftain, Murad Ebrahim, said the rebel group is ready to resume the peace negotiations, but stressed that Manila should honor all previous agreements signed by both sides. “The two parties have to continue from where we stopped, and following the stipulations agreed by both parties as provided for in the Declaration of Continuity for Peace Negotiation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed in Malaysia on June 3, 2010,” Ebrahim said.

He said if the Philippine leader is sincere in pursuing the peace talks with the MILF, Aquino can resolve the Moro problem in Mindanao within his 6 years in office.

“The greatest challenge to the peace process is whether this time the President has the political will to surmount all obstacles and oppositions including well-entrenched spoilers once the peace talks start or when an agreement will be signed. Running parallel is whether the peace process is truly a problem-solving endeavor or just an exercise to manage the conflict, as what previous presidents, deliberately or otherwise, did. We wish to tell you that whether in negotiation or in the normal course of our Islamic revolutionary struggle, the political aspirations of our people remain the same and constant – we want genuine governance for our people. We want our people to decide for themselves.”

“It is our hope that the Moro question and armed conflict in Mindanao will be settled in our lifetime, otherwise, this struggle of our people for freedom and right to self-determination will drag on for generation after generation. To ensure this, we are preparing the young generations to carry on the great task of liberating our people from the yoke of oppression and thralldom,” Ebrahim said.

MILF chief peace negotiator, Mohagher Iqbal said Manila previously offered the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao instead of what was previously agreed upon in the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 and the negotiations nearly collapsed seven years later after both sides failed to sign any agreement on the most contentious issue — ancestral domain – which refers to the rebel demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland.

The failed agreement triggered deadly rebel attacks in 2007 in Mindanao after the Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Politicians and lawmakers, many of them wealthy landowners in Mindanao, opposed the ancestral domain deal and filed their petitions to the High Court and asked Manila to make public the rest of the agreement. They claimed the accord was made without public consultations.

The MILF said it will not renegotiate the ancestral domain agreement. "It is already a done deal; we have already initialed the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain. We will not revisit or renegotiate the agreement," Iqbal said.

But despite the ancestral domain deal, there is still a need to amend the Constitution to allow plebiscite on areas under the ancestral domain that would make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity and give Muslims their own homeland.

Ancestral domain is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement with the Philippine government.

It covers the whole of the Muslim autonomous region – Sulu, Tawi-Tawi-, Basilan, Maguindanao and Lanao, including Marawi City. And some areas in Zamboanga Peninsula, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces in Mindanao where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. And also Palawan Island, off Mindanao.

Last year, Tawi-Tawi Representative Nur Jaafar filed House Bill 4963 and Arroyo, now a member of the Philippine Congress, also filed a similar bill, proposing to divide the Muslim autonomous region into two – the South Western Autonomous Region and the Central Mindanao Autonomous Region – and that a plebiscite will be held in every village in the provinces of Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and the cities of Isabela, Pagadian, Dipolog, Dapitan and Zamboanga. And also in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani and the cities of Cotabato, Marawi, Iligan, Kidapawan, General Santos, Koronadal and Tacurong. (Mindanao Examiner)

Manila to resume peace talks with MILF; names UP dean as chief negotiator

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 15, 2010) – Manila announced Thursday that it would pursue peace talks with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and named a university dean to head the government peace panel.

President Benigno Aquino III has appointed lawyer Marvic Leonen, of the state-run University of the Philippines, to head the peace talks with the MILF. Leonen - who had previously opposed the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain that Manila and the MILF had initially signed in the past - said the negotiations would anchor on the provisions of the Constitution.

Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles said the talks may resume in the coming months.

But the MILF, which is fighting for self-determination, said it would only resume negotiation if the new Aquino government honors all previous agreements Manila had signed with the rebel group.

“Our stand is clear. The peace talks should continue from where we stopped,” said MILF deputy chief Mohagher Iqbal, who previously headed the Front’s peace panel.

Previous peace talks between the Arroyo government and the MILF ended abruptly in Malaysia – which facilitated the peace talks - early this year without new agreement that would put an end to decades of bloody fighting in the restive region of Mindanao.

Peace negotiators exchanged drafts on the comprehensive compact agreement, but the MILF said Manila had offer nothing new that would lead to a political settlement of the fighting in Mindanao.

Iqbal said Manila was offering the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao instead of what was previously agreed upon in the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Former President Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 and the negotiations nearly collapsed seven years later after both sides failed to sign any agreement on the most contentious issue — ancestral domain – which refers to the rebel demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland.

The failed agreement triggered deadly rebel attacks in 2007 in Mindanao after the Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Politicians and lawmakers, many of them wealthy landowners in Mindanao, opposed the ancestral domain deal and filed their petitions to the High Court and asked Manila to make public the rest of the agreement. They claimed the accord was made without public consultations.

The MILF said it will not renegotiate the ancestral domain agreement. "It is already a done deal; we have already initialed the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain. We will not revisit or renegotiate the agreement," Iqbal said.

But despite the ancestral domain deal, there is still a need to amend the Constitution to allow plebiscite on areas under the ancestral domain that would make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity and give Muslims their own homeland.

Ancestral domain is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement with the Philippine government.

It covers the whole of the Muslim autonomous region – Sulu, Tawi-Tawi-, Basilan, Maguindanao and Lanao, including Marawi City. And some areas in Zamboanga Peninsula, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces in Mindanao where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. And also Palawan Island, off Mindanao.

Last year, Tawi-Tawi Representative Nur Jaafar filed House Bill 4963 proposing to divide the Muslim autonomous region into two – the South Western Autonomous Region and the Central Mindanao Autonomous Region – and that a plebiscite will be held in every village in the provinces of Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and the cities of Isabela, Pagadian, Dipolog, Dapitan and Zamboanga.

And also in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani and the cities of Cotabato, Marawi, Iligan, Kidapawan, General Santos, Koronadal and Tacurong.

Despite the abrupt ending of the peace talks, Malaysia deployed a group of international cease-fire observers in the Mindanao – home to about 4 million Muslims - to monitor the implementation of the truce between the Philippines and the MILF. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF, RP sign new agreements, but peace deal is unlikely

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao / April 22, 2010) – Philippine peace negotiators and Muslim rebels signed several agreements ahead of national elections, but a major accord that would end decades of secessionist war in the restive southern region of Mindanao is still uncertain.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination, said it signed the agreement in Kuala Lumpur after two days of tough negotiations.

Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF’s chief peace negotiator, said the agreements will provide administrative support to the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute, the cease-fire committees; the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and a mechanism to return the internally displaced persons.

Peace negotiators also agreed on the civilian protection component of the International Monitoring Team and the Philippines campaign to ban landmines.

The MILF, however, said the fate of the interim agreement is still not settled, even if the peace panels agreed on some common areas which are yet to be discussed in their next meeting early next month.

It said peace negotiators met in the Malaysian capital to try to resolve differences in their drafts on the proposed interim agreement on transitional mechanism on governance, which will bridge the present and the incoming administration in the Philippines.

Malaysia is currently facilitating the peace talks which President Gloria Arroyo opened in 2001 in an effort to end bloody fighting in Mindanao.

But Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s deputy for political affairs, said a peace deal with Arroyo, who is to step down next month when her term ends, is unlikely.

He said there is not enough time to continue the peace talks, but Jaafar expressed optimism the next president will honor all agreements signed under Arroyo’s rule.

“We have no more time to continue the peace talks and the peace negotiators are trying to reach an interim agreement so we may preserve the gains of the talks. We just hope the next president will continue the peace process. We are for peace,” Jaafar said.

Many of the MILF fighters said they are supporting the peace process and also hope that the next administration would honor all agreements signed since 2001 by the two sides.

The MILF peace panel is headed by Mohagher Iqbal and his government counterpart Rafael Seguis. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines resumes peace talks with MILF rebels

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 8, 2009) – Philippine government peace negotiators on Tuesday resumed stalled talks with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front in an effort to end decades of bloody clashes that had killed tens of thousands of people in Mindanao.

Peace negotiators met in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia which is facilitating the talks, but both sides are not expected to issue any statement until after the meeting ends on Wednesday.

“We expect a fruitful outcome of the peace talks and we hope both sides would be able to sign an agreement beneficial to all,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told the independent newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

The resumption of the talks came after both the MILF and the government peace panels approved the establishment of the International Contact Group composed of the United Kingdom, Japan, and Turkey and The Asia Foundation, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, the London-based Conciliation Resources and the Indonesian group Muhammadiyah as international nongovernmental organization members.

The formation of the ICG finally cleared the way for the formal resumption of the peace talks, the MILF’s chief peace negotiator, Mohagher Iqbal said last week.

Iqbal said the ICG serves as guarantee that both the government and MILF comply with all signed agreements. Iqbal was referring to the Muslim homeland deal initially signed by peace negotiators, but declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

The failed signing of the homeland deal sparked a series of rebel attacks that killed and wounded dozens of civilians in Mindanao.

In October, the MILF and government peace panels also signed an accord ensuring the protection of civilians in areas in Mindanao where there are fighting.

“The Framework Agreement on the formation of the International Contact Group and the Agreement on the Protection of Civilians are essential mechanisms to prevent the repeat of the debacle in Kuala Lumpur on August 5, 2008 when the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain was not signed by the government, as well resulting displacement of more than 600,000 people in Mindanao,” Iqbal said.

The agreement on civilian protection reaffirmed the commitment of the MILF and the Philippine government for the observance of the international humanitarian law and respect for the internationally recognized human rights instruments and the protection of the internally displaced persons.

President Gloria Arroyo opened up peace talks with the MILF in 2001 in an effort to end decades of bloody Muslim secessionist war in the restive, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao, south of the Philippines, where rebels are fighting for self-determination.

The agreement on civilian protection component will be incorporated into the Terms of Reference of the International Monitoring Team which would be discussed during the peace talks. The international cease-fire monitoring team was previously composed of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Libya and Japan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines, MILF rebels resume peace talks next week

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

MILF nagmatigas, hindi isusuko ang mga lider na sabig sa atake sa Mindanao

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Setyembre 19, 2009) - Nagmatigas ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front kahapon na hindi nito isusuko ang mga lider na isinabit ng militar at pulisya sa madugong atake sa Mindanao nuong nakaraang taon.

Unang hiningi ng pamahalaang Arroyo sa MILF na isuko sina Abdurahman Macapaar, Ameril Kato and Sulayman Pangalian na siyang itinuturong nasa likod ng paglusob sa Lanat at Sarangani, gayun rin sa North Cotabato at Maguindanao nuong nakaraang taon.

Maraming nasawi sa naturang atake at sinunog pa ng mga rebelde ang ilang kabahayan sa mga lalawigan.

Mismong si MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim ang nagsabing hindi nito isusuko ang mga lider dahil iimbestigahan pa ang mga ito ng shariah court.

Ito rin ang unang sinabi sa Abante ni Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, at Eid Kabalu, spokesman ng nasabing grupo. Itinanggi na noon ng mga lider ang kanilang pagkakasangkot sa atake na naganap matapos na mabasura ang Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain nuong Agosto. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines, MILF rebels back on negotiating table again

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Tigil-opensiba, ipinag-utos ng MILF; peace talks bubuhaying muli

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / July 26, 2009) – Pormal ng nag-deklara ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front ng cease-fire laban sa militar at isinusulong na ng pamahalaang Arroyo ang peace talks upang matigil ang karahasan at kaguluhan sa Mindanao.

Ngunit ipinag-utos rin ng MILF sa mga rebelde na ipagtanggol ang kanilang sarili sa anumang hakbang na maaring ilunsad laban sa mga tumutugis na sundalo sa mga tinuguriang “rogue MILF” members.

Sa hanay ng mga rebelde ay wala umanong “rogue MILF,” bagamat iginigiit ng militar at pulisya na pinaghahanap nila sina Commander Ameril Kato, Abdurahman Macapaar at Sulayman Panglian at ang kanilang mga tauhan na itinuturing nasa likod ng madugong raid sa Lanao provinces, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Iligan at iba pang mga lugar sa Mindanao matapos na mabuwag ang peace talks.

Kahapon ay kinumpirma ni Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, na nilagdaan ni Murad Ebrahim, ang pinuno ng rebeldeng grupo, ang isang order na nagpapatigil sa lahat ng opensiba sa magulong rehiyon.

“We are reciprocating the government’s suspension of military operations against the MILF. With these declarations of cease-fire, we can now move on and talk about peace in Mindanao,” ani Iqbal sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Sinabi pa ni Iqbal na ang cease-fire ay mahalaga sa posibleng resumption ng peace talks na nabasura nuong nakaraang taon matapos na mabigo ang pamahalaan at MILF na malagdaan ang Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).

Ang MOA-AD ay inisyal na nilagdaan ng mga peace negotiators nuong Hulyo ng nakaraang taon sa Malaysia, ngunit nabasura naman ito matapos na kuwestyunin ng Zamboanga, Iligan at North Cotabato sa Korte Suprema ang legalidad nito. Sinabi ng Korte Suprema na unconstitutional ang MOA-AD.

Idiniin ng MILF na hindi ito makikipag-usap sa pamahalaang Arroyo maliban kung ipatutupad nito ang MOA-AD. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Muslim rebels halt offensives in troubled South

Muslim villagers call for a halt in fighting in the southern Philippines while troops shell Moro rebels in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 25, 2009) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, has declared truce on Saturday, ending fierce fighting that killed more than 1,500 soldiers and rebels in the volatile region of Mindanao.

Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, said Murad Ebrahim, the secluded leader of the MILF, has signed the suspension of all military actions against the government.

He said Ibrahim ordered rebel forces to strictly implement the truce.

“We are reciprocating the government’s suspension of military operations against the MILF. With these declarations of cease-fire, we can now move on and talk about peace in Mindanao,” Iqbal told the Mindanao Examiner.

Iqbal said the truce is important for the resumption of the peace talks. “This is confidence-building measure so the peace process can move on without any obstacles,” he said.

Filipino leader Gloria arroyo ordered a halt on all military offensives against the MILF in an effort to revive the stalled peace talks. Arroyo’s decision came after the military said its arsenal is being depleting by the fighting which began last year after the peace talks collapsed.

Security officials said more than a thousand rebels were killed in the fighting, but the MILF disputed the report and claimed that mujahideen forces had killed as many as 500 government soldiers.

More than half a million people were also displaced in the war and are currently in temporary refugee shelters in Maguindanao province.

The MILF previously said it would only resume the peace talks if Arroyo honors the Muslim ancestral domain deal that negotiators initially signed in July last year.

Arroyo scrapped the homeland deal after the Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the accord that would have granted some four million Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao.

The MILF’s announcement of truce came after police announced the capture of an alleged MILF bomber, Salman Mohamad Ali, in the Maguindanao town of Shariff Aguak on Thursday.

Ali was tagged as behind the July 5 bombing outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City that killed 6 people and wounded over 50 others.

Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said his group has nothing to do with the bombing. “The MILF has no involvement in the bombing,” he said.

The MILF is fighting the past three decades for self-determination. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines to resume peace talks with MILF, NPA rebels

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 8, 2009) – The Philippines on Wednesday said it is ready to revive the collapsed peace talks with Muslim and communist rebels following the spate of bombings and fighting in the troubled region of Mindanao.

Government peace talks with the New People’s Army collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement that will put an end to four decades of bloody fighting in the country.

Peace talks also with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front broke down after the failed signing of the Muslim ancestral domain in August last year.

The NPA accused President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on an agreement that would free political prisoners and stop the killings of activists in the country, among others. While the MILF said Arroyo reneged on a deal that would have granted to some four million Muslims their own homeland in Mindanao.

“After 40 years of fighting, it’s time we give peace a chance,” said Secretary Avelino Razon, the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

Razon’s call came after a series of recent bombings blamed by the police and military to the MILF killed six people and wounded dozens more in the southern Philippines.

“The government sees a good prospect for the resumption of the talks in the immediate period given the commitment of both parties to work in addressing the issues that clog the negotiating table,” Razon said.

Razon, a former Philippine police chief, said he is optimistic the stalled peace talks between the government and the MILF would resume despite the four bombing attacks that occurred in Mindanao since Sunday.

He urged the MILF to return to the peace negotiations to stop the fighting in Mindanao where security forces are battling rebels since the collapsed of the talks. The clashes displaced some half a million people in Mindanao.

Razon said the wave of bombings in Cotabato City, Iligan City, Sulu and Lanao del Norte province would not deter the government from pushing the peace process with the MILF.

Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said rebel and government negotiators are currently holding unofficial talks in Malaysia for the resumption of the stalled peace talks.

“The MILF chief peace negotiator, Brother Mohagher Iqbal and the Philippine representative Rafael Seguis are now in Kuala Lumpur and they are discussing with the Malaysian government the possibility of resuming the stalled peace talks,” Kabalu said.

Malaysia, an influential member of the Organization of Islamic Conference, is helping in the peace process. “The ball is in the hands of the Philippine government. It is the Arroyo government which can resolve the Mindanao problem,” Kabalu said.

Razon said the Arroyo government is determined to end the fighting not only in Mindanao, but all other conflict areas in the country. He said the government would like to see a conclusion of the peace process, particularly with the MILF and the communist rebels by 2010 as envisioned by President Arroyo.

Razon also said that the government has intensified its rehabilitation and development projects in Mindanao and other rebel-influenced areas. But the MILF said continued government offensive against the rebels resulted in a humanitarian crisis and unabated human rights violations against Muslims.

Razon also announced that the government would lift suspension of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees with the NPA to allow the rebels to resume peace talks.

Communist leaders earlier called on the citizens “to employ to the fullest all forms of open protest and armed resistance against all of Gloria Arroyo's moves to perpetuate her reign through all means foul and brutal.”

Arroyo is to step down next year when her term ends, but her allies in Congress are campaigning to amend the Constitution and eventually change the presidential form of government to parliamentary.

Opposition politicians and civil groups opposed to Arroyo said amending the Constitution would eventually prolong her stay in power. Arroyo is said to be eyeing a congressional seat in her hometown in Pampanga province next year to evade possible law suits from corruption scandals that rocked her administration.

“Gloria Arroyo is increasingly becoming desperate with time running short and her schemes at reign perpetuation through 'legal' means exposed and opposed at every turn. More and more of Arroyo's dirty, out rightly illegal and fascist cards are now coming out of her sleeves, including the replication of Marcosian tactics to extend her reign of terror and corruption,” the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines said in a statement.

“There is really nothing new about these moves of naked power perpetuation. The bombing spree going on now is an exact replication of Marcos' bombings in many areas of Metro Manila in 1971 and the first eight months of 1972 that eventually led to the imposition of martial law," the CPP said, referring to Philippine dictator President Marcos.

The CPP said it directed the NPA rebels to intensify its offensives against the government. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Army blames Moro rebels for attacks on civilian targets

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Moro Leaders Laud Obama’s Speech

COTABATO, Philippines – US President Barack Hussein Obama has called for “a new beginning” in the relationship between America and the Muslim World.

“I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world,” Obama said in a speech that delivered in the Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt last Thursday.

Obama acknowledged the contributions of the Muslims to human civilization.

He said: “As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam. It was Islam – at places like Al-Azhar University – that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment.”

“It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality,” Obama continued.

The US President also acknowledged how colonialism “denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims,” in the speech described by Mohagher Iqbal as “perfectly made.”

Iqbal, himself an author of many books, is the chair of the Peace Panel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in its peace negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP).

“What is still lacking is action. That will come later, hope soon,” Iqbal said.

Professor Moner Bajunaid, the executive director of the Mindanao Integrated Development (MIND) Center, Inc., a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Cotabato City lauded Obama’s speech as “well written.”

“It spells out his vision of peace in the Middle East and the world. It is well balanced, something for all parties. It is full of Quranic verses. At times the speech sounds like a lecture but somehow he balances it by pointing out Islam’s heritage to civilization,” Bajunaid further said.

On his part, Rahib Kudto, the national president of the United Youth for Peace and Development, Inc. (UNYPAD), another NGO that is based in Cotabato City, said:

“President Barack Obama is the only non-Muslim President I have known that has expressively recognized Islam as a source of knowledge and peace. He is a man of hope and unity.”

“Good but let’s see action,” was the brief reply of Jun Mantawil, the chair of the secretariat of the MILF Peace Panel, when he was asked about his comment on the speech of Obama.

Guinandang Bansilan, a retired government employee, in Kabacan town in North Cotabato, remarked: “That is the best speech (of a US president) so far. It urges the unity of the entire world."

Meanwhile, Professor Abhoud Syed Lingga, the executive director of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies (IBS), in a statement he issued June 5, described Obama’s speech as “a landmark as far as relations between the Muslim world and the United States is concerned” and that “if followed by concrete actions it will certainly change the landscape of the relationship in the future.”

“Although short of specifics but the speech was the boldest, balanced and frank statement coming from a president of the United States.

“His acknowledgment of the Muslim’s contributions to human civilization and in building the American nation, as well as the suffering of Muslims under colonialism, is a good starter for fruitful dialogue between the U.S. and the Muslim world,” Lingga explained.

Lingga appreciated Obama’s “candidness in discussing the major sources of tension and what he intends to do in addressing them.”

“Specifically,” Lingga said, “what interest me are his proposals on engaging the Muslims through education, science and technology and economic development. These programs will not only benefit Muslims in Muslim-majority countries but also Muslim minorities like the Bangsamoro people.”

“The concept of creating ‘a new corps of business volunteers to partner with counterparts in Muslim-majority countries’ is indeed interesting because it juxtaposes with the idea that I always hold that development of Muslim communities in the Bangsamoro homeland has to be driven by Bangsamoro entrepreneurship to be sustainable, not by programs of government and aid agencies,” further noted Lingga.

Lingga, however, clarified that Obama’s reference to “America and Islam” can be “confusing” since “the two are not the same.”

He stressed that “while America is a nation, Islam is a religion, a way of life. Defining the similarities and differences would have been clear if the term ‘Muslim world’ is used to refer to the collectivity of Muslim nation-states and the Muslim minorities.”

“Although he made the commitment that as president of the United States he will fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear but no mention as to what he will do to change the perception of around 46 percent of the respondents of the latest survey in the United States who held unfavorable view of Muslim countries,” Lingga concluded.

Catrina Malingawa, vice chair of the United Youth of the Philippines, Inc. (UNYPHIL-Women), in its Davao Oriental provincial chapter, appreciated Obama’s emphasis on respecting Muslims’ culture especially “on wearing hijab for Muslim women.”

“Islam,” according to Obama, “is part of America.”

“The Holy Koran tells us: ‘O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.’

“The Talmud tells us: ‘The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.’

“The Holy Bible tells us: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.’

“The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now that must be our work here on Earth,” thus, Obama concluded his speech. (Taher G. Solaiman. The author is the President of the Cotabato Center for Peace and Development Initiatives, Inc. in Carmen, Cotabato province in Mindanao.)

Philippines says Observer bid in OIC supported by member states

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Philippines names new peace negotiators for the MILF

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 23, 2008) – The Philippines on Tuesday named three more to the government team that would negotiate peace with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, who serves as the government peace adviser, said the new members are Adelbert Antonino, the mayor of General Santos City; Ronald Adamat, a former lawmaker; and Nasser Pangandaman, the current Agrarian Reform Secretary.

President Gloria Arroyo earlier appointed Rafael Seguis, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary, as head of the government peace panel. Seguis said he would do his best to advance the cause of peace in Mindanao.

Peace talks collapsed in August after the failed signing of the Muslim ancestral domain agreement. The Supreme Court said the deal was unconstitutional.

The aborted signing also triggered a series of deadly rebel attacks in the southern Philippines. Because of the attacks, President Arroyo disbanded the government peace panel negotiating with rebels and demanded the MILF to surrender those responsible in the attacks - Abdullah Macapaar, Sulayman Pangalian and Ameril Kato.

Arroyo previously said the government would only return to the peace talks if the MILF surrenders the trio, but the rebel group rejected the demand. Manila has put up a P10 million bounties each for the capture of Macapaar, Kato and Pangalian.

For its part, the MILF said it would resume peace talks only if President Arroyo honors the territorial land deal that negotiators had initially signed in July in Malaysia.

“We are firm with our stand, we will resume peace talks only if President Arroyo honors the Muslim ancestral domain agreement,” Mohagher Iqbal, the chief MILF peace negotiator, told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from his farm in Mindanao.

Iqbal said the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain was already initialed by the MILF and the government peace panel headed by then Rodolfo Garcia.

The territorial land deal also sparked a massive protest from Christian politicians and residents in areas covered by the agreement, which would have granted a separate homeland for more than four million Muslims across over 700 villages in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Manila names new peace negotiator to deal with Moro rebels

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 1, 2008) – Philippine leader Gloria Arroyo named a new peace negotiator that will deal with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Arroyo appointed Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis as chief peace negotiator, but the MILF said it will resume the stalled talks only if the government honors the failed Muslim homeland deal.

Peace talks collapsed after rebel forces launched a series of deadly attacks in Mindanao because of the failed signing in August of the Muslim ancestral domain agreement.

The deal, the Supreme Court said, was unconstitutional, but the MILF said peace negotiators had initially signed the accord in July in Malaysia, which was brokering the peace talks.

“Our position remains, we will not resume peace talks unless President Arroyo honors the MOA-AD, that’s it,” Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief peace negotiator, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Iqbal was referring to the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain which was initialed by the MILF and the government peace panel headed by then Rodolfo Garcia.

The territorial land deal also sparked a massive protest from Christian politicians and residents in areas covered by the agreement, which would have granted a separate homeland for more than four million Muslims across over 700 villages in Mindanao.

Arroyo is yet to name other members to the government peace panel. Seguis vowed to do his “best to advance the cause of peace in Mindanao.”

“This is a tremendous challenge and opportunity which I humbly accept knowing fully well the difficult road that lies ahead. We will do our work quietly, but diligently because in any negotiation it is just as important to listen and understand the views of the other side,” Seguis said.

Seguis, a career diplomat who retired in 2004, was reappointed as Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Special Concerns. He led the crisis team to Iraq on two separate occasions to negotiate for the eventual safe release of kidnapped Filipino workers Angelo dela Cruz and Roberto Tarongoy.

The Philippine News Agency said Seguis received a Presidential Citation on July 19, 2005 “for his steadfast and able leadership of Team Iraq” which resulted in the successful release of the Filipino hostages.

He also received the Order of Sikatuna with the Rank of Datu (Gold Distinction) on October 26, 2006. It is the highest presidential award bestowed to government officials and employees.

It said Seguis is often tapped to represent the Philippines in vital diplomatic missions and conferences in the Middle East, including being a regular member of the guest Philippine delegation to the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Islamic Summits from 1996 to 2008.

He also represented the Philippines in various United Nations (UN) and Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) high-level meetings. He is the recipient of many awards and citations from DFA, including the “Distinguished Service Award” conferred by then Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr.

Seguis also served as Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia and East Timor ( 2002 – 2003); Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yemen (1999-2002); Iraq and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (1992 to 1996); Deputy Chief of Mission in Tripoli (1988-1991) and in various capacities in the Philippine Embassies in Rome, Bangkok, Cairo, Tehran and the United States.

At the DFA, he served as Assistant Minister for Fiscal Management (1986-1987) and Assistant Secretary for Middle East and Africa (1996-1999). Seguis is also concurrently Chairman of the Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat of the DFA.

He is a graduate of the University of the East and attended post-graduate studies at the American University in Cairo and the Ateneo de Manila Graduate School of Business. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF restores defaced website

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 14, 2008) – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has restored its website late Friday after it was defaced by hackers.

Mohagher Iqbal, a senior MILF leader, earlier said their website, whose URL http://www.luwaran.com , was hacked by a still unidentified group. "Our website was hacked by the enemy," he said without further elaborating.

The website was off line since Friday and its mirror site http://www.luwaran.net has been redirected Saturday to a forum on this URL http://forums.luwaran.net.

Television giant GMA 7 reported that the MILF website had several photos of pigs, animals considered unclean by Muslims.

Links to news articles in the MILF website also led to defaced pages featuring pigs. "I love pigs," "i love pigs :D," "Prite bac Prite" and "digdigdig," the headlines read.

Those behind the defacing did not leave signs of their identity, GMANews.TV reported.

It also quoted reports by radio network dzBB as saying that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied involvement in the hacking of the MILF website. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops, Rebels Continue Fighting In Southern Philippines

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Philippines Supreme Court Junks Muslim Homeland Deal

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 14, 2008) – The Philippines Supreme Court of Tuesday declared as unconstitutional the Muslim homeland deal initially signed by government and rebel peace negotiators.

The decision came out barely two months after the Supreme Court suspended the formal signing August 5 of the territorial deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group is fighting for nearly four decades for the establishment of a separate state in Mindanao.

The Supreme Court voted 8-7 in ruling that the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain with the MILF violated provisions in the Constitution. President Gloria Arroyo quit peace negotiations with the MILF after accusing the rebel group of attacking civilian areas following the aborted signing of the Muslim territorial deal.

The MILF said the peace panels have initially signed the Muslim homeland agreement in July this year in Malaysia, which is brokering the talks and would not renegotiate the agreement.

The rebels said Mrs. Arroyo’s emissaries rushed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain with the MILF so she can include it in her state of the nation address on July 28.

The controversial deal also sparked massive protests from politicians opposed to the agreement that would have granted about four million Muslims their homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao.

Arroyo later scrapped the Muslim homeland deal and abolished the government team negotiating with the MILF and vowed to achieve peace in the restive region through dialogues and consultations with the communities and political leaders.

Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief peace negotiator, said the decision of the Supreme Court further complicated the situation in Mindanao.

“We are not affected by the decision of the Supreme Court. It has no bearing on the MILF. As far as we are concerned the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain is a done deal because the peace panels had already initialed the deal.”

“The problems are now with the Philippine government. The MILF will not negotiate anymore the ancestral domain agreement. The Philippine government violated all peace agreements and the trust of all stakeholders in the Mindanao peace process,” he told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from a rebel base in Mindanao.

Sporadic fighting in recent weeks have killed and wounded many soldiers and rebels and displaced as much as half a million people in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF Blames Arroyo For Failed Peace Talks, Territorial Deal In South RP

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 4, 2008) – Philippine Muslim rebels on Thursday blamed Manila for the failed peace negotiations and accused President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on the territorial deal.

Mohagher Iqbal, chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said Arroyo is to blame if fighting resumes in Mindanao. “We have nothing to blame but the Philippine government if war breaks out in Mindanao,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Arroyo on Wednesday dissolved the government panel negotiating peace with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. She earlier scrapped the ancestral domain deal that peace negotiators initially signed in July 27 in Malaysia, which was brokering the talks.

The Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the accord on August 5 after government spokesmen said Arroyo was not informed and unaware about the territorial deal.

The ancestral domain deal would have granted some four million Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao, whose 21 million populations are mostly Christians and indigenous tribes.

But Iqbal said the President knew about the ancestral domain deal long before it was initially signed in Kuala Lumpur because the issue had been tackled many times since last year by the Cluster E.

“The President knew everything about the ancestral domain agreement and other important developments as far as the peace talks were concerned. President Arroyo had been informed about anything that has something to do with the peace process,” Iqbal said.

“They also wanted us to sign the peace agreement, but we declined because there are more important things to talk about as far as the Mindanao problems are concerned.”

“The memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain had been tackled many times since last year with the Cluster E and as a matter of fact they rushed the signing of the ancestral domain deal because President Arroyo wanted it included in her state of the nation address in July 28,” Iqbal said.

Cluster E refers to the cabinet Cluster for Political and Security Affairs that routinely advised Arroyo on national security matters. Its members included the National Security Council, National Defense, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Finance secretaries.

Arroyo, in her state of the nation address, said: “A comprehensive peace has eluded us for half a century. But last night, differences on the tough issue of ancestral domain were resolved. Yes, there are political dynamics among the people of Mindanao. Let us sort them out with the utmost sobriety, patience and restraint. I ask Congress to act on the legislative and political reforms that will lead to a just and lasting peace during our term of office.”

Iqbal said the ancestral domain deal is considered final. “It has been initialed already and the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain deal, as what we have repeatedly said in the past, is a done deal. We will not negotiate anymore what has been already agreed by the peace panels,” he said.

Iqbal said the peace talks are now in "purgatory".

The Malaysian news agency Bernama also quoted Michael Mastura, a member of the MILF peace panel, as saying that the scrapping of the government peace panel has little bearing on the Muslim homeland lead.

“Our position on this is very clear that it's a done deal. Under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, there's a provision which states that status of initialing is as good as signature. But whether they comply with it or not is a different story,” he said.

Mastura said they were still awaiting official notice from the peace talks secretariat in Kuala Lumpur about the scrapping of the government peace panel. “We have expected this and we have our contingency plan. We will deliberate on it,” he said.

The MILF on Wednesday said it would continue with its armed struggle in Mindanao should the peace talks totally collapse.

The government's announcement came two weeks after MILF commanders Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led hundreds of rebels in separate attacks on the provinces in Mindanao. Dozens of people were brutally killed in the raid.

Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001, but since then nothing significant had been signed except for the ancestral domain agreement. But the homeland deal sparked a series of protests from politicians and residents who were opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the agreement that will make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Arroyo has shifted in the basic premise of the government's peace effort after hundreds of rebels under Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led a series of attacks in the provinces in Mindanao that killed dozens of civilians.

Manila also demanded the rebels to lay down their weapons before peace talks can resume. This was rejected by the MILF.

Last year, peace talks were also stalled after Manila reneged on the ancestral domain deal. Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks, has pulled out its truce observers deployed in Mindanao after blaming the Arroyo government of stalling the seven-year old negotiations.

Manila said previously that it would pursue a proposal by Senator Aquilino Pimentel to put up a federal government and divide the Philippines into eleven states.

Pimentel proposed four federal states in Luzon, three in the Visayas and three more in Mindanao.

Arroyo's allies in Congress have earlier proposed to amend the Constitution to change the system of government from presidential to parliamentary or federalism.

But militant groups and political activists have repeatedly accused Arroyo of using the peace talks with the MILF to amend the Constitution and eventually prolong her to stay into power.

Under the presidential form of government, Arroyo is allowed only one six-year term. In the charter change proposal suggested by her political allies who dominate Congress, she can be elected as prime minister should Congress dissolve the Senate and change the system of government to parliamentary and eventually prolong her into power beyond 2010.

Arroyo deposed President Joseph Estrada in a people power revolution in 2001, but corruption scandals in her government and allegations of poll fraud in 2004 has made her extremely unpopular. (Mindanao Examiner)

War In The Making: Arroyo Dissolves Peace Panel; MILF Pursues Armed Struggle In Mindanao

Philippine leader Gloria Arroyo talks with Muslim job-seekers on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at the Philippine Trade and Training Center in Pasay City. Arroyo on Wednesday also dissolved the government panel negotiating peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (Photo by Rey Baniquet / Text by the Mindanao Examiner)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 3, 2008) – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front vowed to continue its armed struggle after Manila on Wednesday dissolved its peace panel negotiating with the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group.

The government’s announcement came two weeks after MILF commanders Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led hundreds of rebels in separate attacks on the provinces in Mindanao. Dozens of people were brutally killed in the raid.

“If the peace talks with the Philippine government fail, then we have no recourse but to continue our armed struggle,” Mohagher Iqbal, the chief MILF peace negotiator, told the Mindanao Examiner. 

President Gloria Arroyo, who opened peace talks with the rebels in 2001, has already scrapped a territorial deal with the MILF after the Supreme Court stopped its formal signing last month in Malaysia because many of its provisions were unconstitutional.

Peace negotiators in July initially signed the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain that would have granted some four million Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao, whose 21 million populations are mostly Christians and indigenous tribes.

The homeland deal sparked a series of protests from politicians and residents who were opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the agreement that will make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Rebel forces launched the attacks after the failed signing of the controversial ancestral domain agreement. 

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the government’s decision to dissolve the peace panel, headed by Rodolfo Garcia, will pave the way for a fresh start to the peace process in the restive region.

Manila repeatedly demanded the MILF to surrender Kato and Macapaar after authorities filed criminal charges against them for the attacks. But the rebel group flatly rejected the demand, saying, it is investigating the duo for their involvement in the deadly attacks.

Fighting erupted in many areas in Lanao del Norte and Maguindanao provinces where security forces mounted a massive operation aimed at capturing the two rogue MILF leaders.

The continuing hostilities, the MILF said, are already threatening the peace talks and that the fighting could spread to other areas in Mindanao if the government will not stop attacking rebel forces in the guise of pursuing Kato and Macapaar.

“Our struggle for self-determination will not falter. All that is happening is Allah’s will and the struggle of the Bangsamoro people for self-determination is also the struggle of the MILF,” Iqbal said.

Arroyo has shifted in the basic premise of the government's peace effort after hundreds of rebels under Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led a series of attacks in the provinces in Mindanao that killed dozens of civilians.

Iqbal said the peace talks are now in “purgatory”.

 

Presidential peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon said the government will longer sign the ancestral domain deal, which the MILF insisted is already a done deal after peace negotiators initially signed the accord in July.

Manila also demanded the rebels to lay down their weapons before peace talks can resume. This was also rejected by the MILF. 

Iqbal said Manila should provide official statement to Malaysia and the MILF the scrapping of the territorial deal and the termination of government peace panel or whether Arroyo would still continue the peace talks with the MILF or not. 

“Without these official communication, the MILF cannot decide whether to continue the peace with the Arroyo government or not,” he said.

Last year, peace talks were also stalled after Manila reneged on the ancestral domain deal. Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks, has pulled out its truce observers deployed in Mindanao after blaming the Arroyo government of stalling the seven-year old negotiations.

Manila said previously that it would pursue a proposal by Senator Aquilino Pimentel to put up a federal government and divide the Philippines into eleven states.

Pimentel proposed four federal states in Luzon, three in the Visayas and three more in Mindanao. He said the establishment of a federal system, as embodied under Joint Resolution 10 which he introduced, will not only overhaul the political structure of government, but also bring about a dramatic change in the system of apportioning the wealth of the nation between the central government and the local government units.

"Since the central government will be left with less power, it will need fewer funds. And therefore, its share of the national wealth or resource shall be reduced correspondingly,” he said, adding, the sharing of revenues will be 80 percent for the Federal states and 20 percent for the Central government. 

Pimentel said federalization of the country would enhance national cohesion and unity because the proposed 11 component states will enjoy full autonomy.

Arroyo's allies in Congress have earlier proposed to amend the Constitution to change the system of government from presidential to parliamentary or federalism.

But militant groups and political activists have repeatedly accused Arroyo of using the peace talks with the MILF to amend the Constitution and eventually prolong her to stay into power.

Under the presidential form of government, Arroyo is allowed only one six-year term. In the charter change proposal suggested by her political allies who dominate Congress, she can be elected as prime minister should Congress dissolve the Senate and change the system of government to parliamentary and eventually prolong her into power beyond 2010.

Arroyo deposed President Joseph Estrada in a people power revolution in 2001, but corruption scandals in her government and allegations of poll fraud in 2004 has made her extremely unpopular.  (Mindanao Examiner)