Peace Talks with MILF in Mindanao

With the southern peace talks now in the crucial stage, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) expressed hopes on Monday that "things will turn out smoothly" as negotiations proceed.

Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief peace negotiator, said they are ready to resume peace talks with the government and just awaiting the date of the next meeting.

"It's difficult to predict [the negotiations] but we are hoping for the best [once we meet again]," he said over the phone.

Malaysia, the mediator of the southern peace process, has yet to set the date for the resumption of amity talks that shall be concurred upon by both the government and the MILF, Iqbal said, adding they are looking towards the end of May for the resumption of the negotiations.

During the 27th exploratory talks in April, the parties agreed to meet again this month.

Significantly, both sides signed in their last meeting in Kuala Lumpur the "Decision Points on Principles," which shall serve as the framework in the discussion and formulation of the comprehensive peace compact.

Aside from the creation of a new autonomous political entity to replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the points laid out in the signed document include introducing the ministerial system, strengthening of the Shari'ah courts, protection of the people's basic rights, and power and wealth sharing between the national government and the autonomous body.

In their next meeting, Iqbal said the MILF may bring up on the negotiating table the creation of a new Moro entity and territory matters.

Both parties earlier agreed to continue talks on wealth and power sharing, he added.

Mario Victor Leonen, government chief peace negotiator, said they are exercising "due diligence" in negotiating with the Moro rebels as issues are expected to become more difficult on the peace table.

In a statement, he said the government is carefully examining substantive issues particularly those of legal concern, such as the creation of a new political autonomous entity that will replace the current ARMM, as well as power-sharing and wealth-sharing that are contained in the Decision Points on Principles.

Emphasizing that the peace negotiations is conducted within the framework of the Constitution, Leonen pointed out that agreeing to create a new political autonomous entity is allowed as stated in Article 10, Section 15 to 22.

He cited Section 15 which stated that "there shall be created autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao…(in) areas sharing common and distinctive historical and cultural heritage, economic and social structures, and other relevant characteristics within the framework of this Constitution and the national sovereignty as well as territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines."

Further, Leonen said that "the basis of autonomy is democracy."

"In the national politics, there will always be a minority whose views and concerns cannot be always accommodated because they could never become a majority. Thus, the only way to guarantee a level of democracy is allow them to govern in one region, but still remain in the entire Republic of the Philippines," he explained.

Leonen stressed that the peace negotiations with the MILF is at the "peak of its discussions" on political settlement.

The parties are set to discuss substantive issues in the next round of talks this May. This includes deliberating "details and particulars" on power-sharing, wealth-sharing between the national government and the envisioned new autonomous political entity, mode of defining its geographical area, transition and normalization mechanism, according to another statement from the Office of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.