MILF gets June 1 deadline for peace

President Arroyo gave yesterday separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas until June 1 to end "retaliatory attacks" on civilians and cut links with terror groups, or be branded as terrorists themselves.

"The government is nearing a decision on whether to declare the MILF a terrorist organization, and to take the necessary operational and diplomatic measures to strengthen this prospective policy," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo issued the ultimatum following the recommendations by the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security (Cocis) in a meeting at Malacañang late Monday.

The warning brought the government closer to shutting the door to a political settlement to the 25-year separatist rebellion in Mindanao.

In a statement, the President said Manila would decide after a meeting with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Iran at the end of this month.

"We are holding this decision in abeyance upon the recommendation of the Cocis until after the forthcoming OIC meeting to be held toward the end of this month," she said.

"Meanwhile, the security of our civilian communities is our utmost concern. Punitive actions will continue and peace talks remain suspended. We will treat those who attack civilians as plain terrorists," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo also repeated her previous demand for the 12,500-strong MILF to "make a clear statement on whether it is allied with the Abu Sayyaf and foreign terrorist groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah or al-Qaeda or unequivocally reject them."

After suspending peace talks last week, Mrs. Arroyo late Monday discussed options with her top security advisers following the wave of attacks blamed on the MILF that have claimed nearly 100 lives in Mindanao since March.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said a terror tag would lead to "the possible restriction of funds from donor organizations to a terrorist organization," as well as "restrictions on the travel of individual members of the organization."

"Definitely the (peace) talks would be affected if the terrorist tag were applied to the MILF," he said. "The decision on the matter will be made on June 1."

Bunye admitted the cancellation of the peace talks with the MILF would be the immediate consequence if the separatist group is tagged a terror organization.

The MILF has denied any hand in the bombings of Davao City airport as well as the spate of bomb attacks in other towns.

It has also rejected allegations it was linked to Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for the deadly Bali bombing last year, as well as to the al-Qaeda, behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attack in the United States.

The rebel group also denied giving sanctuary to the Abu Sayyaf. The US has regarded all three as "foreign terrorist organizations."

"We do not use alliance specially with a group that does not have ideology," said MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu, referring to the Abu Sayyaf.

He said the MILF is not even worried of the government’s putting the terror tag on them.

Kabalu claimed the government warning is just "a diversionary tactic" to save face following allegations of military collusion with bandits as claimed in the book written by former Abu Sayyaf hostage Gracia Burnham.

Kabalu also said they were not anxious about the implications of a freeze order on their assets as a result of the terror tag. "What will they freeze? We don’t have a single centavo," he said.

Kabalu maintained the MILF does not attack civilians. He challenged the military to avoid civilian populations "to avoid collateral damage."

Gearing up

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople has briefed envoys of the OIC, grouping more than 50 Muslim nations, on Manila’s plans.

A number of Muslim countries had previously given material backing to the rebels.

But OIC member Malaysia in recent years has fretted about the possible tidal wave of war refugees, and has been hosting informal peace talks between Manila and the MILF.

Malaysian Ambassador Taufik Mohammed Noor said a terrorist tag would affect his government’s treatment, under the trilateral accord on counter-terrorism signed by Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila last year.

"I would imagine that the terms of the agreement would have to come into effect," he said, stressing, "I do not think it has been proven that some leaders of the MILF are residing in Malaysia."

He added: "We do not support any efforts by any party in the Philippines to seek secession."

Taufik said that Mrs. Arroyo’s deadline for the MILF was a clear message to the rebels. "The MILF should decide what they are, respect the Philippine government. The MILF should try to disprove what they’ve been up to because many actions against civilians are an act of terrorism, " the Malaysian envoy said.

He said the OIC must now respect the decision of the Philippine government.

Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, for his part, said tagging the MILF as terrorists does not mean the US will be given a free hand against the rebel group.

In a visit to Koronadal Monday, where a bomb ripped through a crowded market sidewalk last Saturday, killing 10 people and wounding 40 others, the President said there were well-meaning leaders pushing for peace talks with the MILF, but "I cannot take the perpetual risk of putting the lives of Filipinos in graver peril."

The Commission on Human Rights said it is set to conduct an investigation into the alleged atrocities and human rights violations committed on civilians by the MILF.

Lawmakers and local political leaders have appealed to the government to continue its peace efforts with the MILF.

Some lawmakers proposed tapping the services of ulamas and other local religious leaders to broker the peace talks with the MILF.

During the recent Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting at Malacañang, Vice President Teofisto Guingona volunteered to tap the services of the Inter-Faith Peace Commission, composed of various religious leaders, to help broker the resumption of peace talks.

"There is a perception that there is a growing mistrust on both (the MILF and the government) sides, so I suggested during the Ledac meeting that a new element should come in," he said.

"I suggested that the Inter-Faith Peace Commission could be more objective and more acceptable to both parties."

Guingona also raised the possibility that a third party is trying to drive a wedge between the government and the MILF.

A member of the commission, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo raised the suspicion of a third party behind the recent attacks.

"This is a third party that does not belong to both sides and the problem is we don’t know who they are. The religious dimension is being injected by these groups that (all) the more escalates the war," Quevedo said.

Lawmakers said it was about time the government declared the MILF as a terror organization.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay, chairman of the House defense committee, said under the circumstances, the government is "afraid of the MILF," in hedging on the terror tag.

Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat said branding the MILF as terrorists "is long overdue."

Iloilo Rep. Rolex Suplico, for his part, said the government should not abandon the peace efforts. – With Roel Pareño, Bong Fabe, Sammy Santos, Perseus Echeminada, Paolo Romero, Mike Frialde, AFP