EDITORIAL - Out of control

It’s good to know that the government is set to sign a peace agreement with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front by late March or April. Peace is always better than armed conflict. But before signing anything, the government must make sure it is forging an agreement with a group, and not just a handful of aging militants who want to retire from insurgency with a nest egg but no longer speak for their group. This appears to be the case with the MILF leadership.

Eleven regular members of the MILF have been formally charged in connection with a bomb attack last Jan. 5 in Cotabato City that left four people wounded. Another MILF commander, described as a renegade, is wanted for bomb attacks in three cities in Mindanao last Wednesday that killed seven people. The MILF member reportedly trained with the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian terror cell that has set up training camps in Mindanao with the help of the MILF.

As expected, MILF leaders have disowned the bombers and have even vowed to assist in the manhunt. The MILF leaders also said they were investigating their own ranks in the wake of the bombings.

MILF leaders may be sincere in their desire for peace. But it takes more than sincere desire to make a peace agreement work. Rebel commanders must show that they can make their members comply with the provisions of a peace agreement. But recent developments raise questions about the degree of control wielded by MILF leaders over their forces.

The bomb attacks in the cities of General Santos, Cotabato and Kidapawan were launched on the eve of the annual leaders’ summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Western governments had earlier warned about possible terrorist attacks in those cities and several other areas in the country to coincide with the summit.

The country needs to put its best foot forward during an international gathering. Now MILF members are being implicated in attacks that could sabotage the summit. Philippine security forces are on the highest alert for more attacks. If MILF leaders cannot speak for their group or control their foot soldiers, toilet paper will be worth more than any peace agreement forged with the separatists.