Peace talks with MILF to be 'inclusive'

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  - The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process has assured Sulu leaders and their constituents that the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will include  province and its residents.

Sulu is home to Tausugs and members of the Moro National Liberation Front.  

Deles made the assurance and eased the doubts and worries of Sulu residents  during a consultation last week in Jolo, the capital town of Sulu, which was called by Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan II with all its stake holders present.

Deles lauded the provincial leadership for holding the dialogue as it helped  inform residents of the results of the ongoing negotiations which will resume within this month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the possible signing of the final annex - the normalization annex.

Deles told the Sulu residents of the four-point instruction of President Aquino to the government peace panel that the negotiation should be: first, within the parameters of the constitution while considering some flexibility of the laws; second, all agreements must be doable; third, the president want it to make sure that everything the government signed can be implemented; and fourth, it has to be inclusive.

“There has to be consultation. We work under these parameters,” Deles said.

“The Bangsamoro is not just about the MILF. It is not just about MNLF. It is all about the citizens who never carried guns to fight for their agenda but have suffered from this cycle of violence in the region,” she added.

Deles told the Sulu stake holders that the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) is a platform for the entire Bangsamoro to come together and discuss issues.

She added that the Aquino administration is aware of the need for sensitivity in crafting a law that will advance the interests of the Bangsamoro people, citing that the president created a commission that is composed of only Moros.

“We are hoping for a new life in region, where the people will see that they have an equal chance for progress, in  which they don’t have to use the guns to get what they want,” she added.

Sulu vice-governor Abdusakur M. Tan maintained that there is a need for the people to be well informed of the ongoing talks since the island province is regarded as the birthplace of the Moro rebellion.

“[The] dialogue is geared toward a better understanding of the agreement, and clear whatever doubts and apprehensions some sectors of our people may harbor on the imminent changes they have to come to terms with,” he said.