Mindanao council under review

DAVAO CITY — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may eventually abolish the Mindanao Coordinating Council (MCC) which ousted President Joseph Estrada created to oversee the rehabilitation of communities in Central and Northern Mindanao that were heavily affected by hostilities between government and Moro separatist rebels last year.

"I have (placed) the MCC under review and so with other existing structures that were created ahead of the MCC such as the area coordinating committees (ACCs)," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo instead created an inter-agency committee, headed by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, to oversee the rehabilitation program and the return of displaced villagers to their communities.

The President said she would wait for the recommendation of the inter-agency committee on whether the MCC should be retained or not.

Estrada himself headed the MCC which is composed of various government agencies involved in the rehabilitation work. The committee only met thrice before Estrada was deposed last Jan. 20. — Edith Regalado