Gov't warns public vs malicious info about peace deal

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government warned today the public against malicious text messages circulating false information aiming to sow fear and derail the peace situation in Mindanao.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Undersecretary Jose Lorena made the warning following the circulation of the text messages saying that groups of the former secessionist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) were set to hold gathering and declare independence to protest their qualm on the perceived closure of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between MNLF and the government.

"We urge the public to be critical against false information. We also call for sobriety as our government, both national and local, are carefully handling the peace and security in Mindanao," he said.

"It is best to seek out information from reliable sources and understand the context before making conclusions," he added. "We rely on the public to guard the process."

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles clarified the status of the Tripartite Implementation Review of the Government of the Philippines (GPH)-MNLF 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA).

Since 2007, the GPH had been engaged in conversations with the MNLF on the review of the implementation of the 1996 FPA. She said that after almost six years of tripartite review, a joint review process had already established consensus points and some joint mechanisms and actions particularly between MNLF representatives and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao regional government.

"From the start, what the GPH proposed to complete was the review process, not the closure of the peace process, nor the abrogation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement," she said.