Critics say that it is saddening that a landmark agreement, like the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), is now being used as a tool to revive Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s charter change drive. BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA…
Tags: MILF
Peace Advocates Brand Esperon’s Appointment as Peace Czar ‘Ironic, Tragic, and Outrageous’
Senators, human rights, and peace advocates questioned the appointment of former AFP chief of staff Hermogenes Esperon as Peace Adviser. Inpeace Mindanao called it “ironic, tragic, and outrageous.” BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 16, May 25-31, 2008 Opposition senators, human rights and peace advocates raised a chorus of protest and painted a…
U.S. Dangling Aid in Exchange for Signing of Bogus Peace Pact with GRP, Says MILF
The U.S. government agenda in the resolution of armed conflict in Mindanao is for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to sign a bogus peace pact with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in the tradition of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said Mohammad Musib Buat, a member of the…
Peace Talks Nearing Dead End, Says MILF Panel Chief
Real movement in the peace talks is possible only if both parties–especially the GRP–can find “a way forward,” MILF Negotiating Panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal said. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 1, February 3-6, 2008 The peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic (GRP) of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation…
AFP ‘Test Missions’ during Ramadhan Slammed
“It is difficult for our brothers and sisters in the war-torn areas of Basilan to observe one of the important pillars of Islam when the guns and bombs of the Philippine Army are aimed at them,” said Amirah Ali Lidasan, national president of the Suara Bangsamoro party. She added that Moro civilians are vulnerable to…
Random Arrests, Repeat of 2000 ‘All-Out War’ Feared in Basilan
The specter of random arrests in connection with the July 10 beheading of 14 Marines in Al-Barka, Basilan following an encounter between the AFP and the MILF looms over the people of the said town. This is because the warrants of arrest issued for 130 suspected members of the MILF and the ASG alleged to…
Marine General’s ‘Detention’ Provoked by Peace Pact Violations
The “detention” by Moro rebels of a military group led by Muslim convert Brig. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino last week stemmed from the repeated postponement of a proposed tripartite meeting with the government and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). The proposed tripartite meeting was to tackle issues related to the implementation of the 1996 Final…
On the October Bombings on Mindanao: ‘These are the Handiwork of Groups Opposing Peace’
The bombings that took place in Mindanao earlier this month are the handiwork of people who want the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to completely collapse, the spokesperson of the Moro revolutionary group said. These, he said, are people who are…
2005 among Worst Years in Bangsa Moro History
The year 2005 is most likely one of the worst years in Bangsa Moro history. It was a year of false hopes for peace amid an escalation of a centuries-old strife. If anything, the year 2005 will be remembered as the year peace in Mindanao appeared near enough but was driven farther away. BY ALEXANDER…
Gov’t-MILF Peace Partly at Hand but Still Remote – Islamic Professor
Dr. Julkipli Wadi, a UP Islamic Studies professor, agrees with MILF chairman Al Haj Murad that peace is “partly at hand” in Mindanao. However, he thinks there is still a long way to go. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat.com A professor of Islamic Studies at the University of the Philippines (UP) agrees with Al Haj…