Afable named negotiator with MILF

DAVAO CITY — Presidential Management Staff (PMS) head Silvestre Afable will be the new chief of the government negotiating panel in the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, (MILF) replacing Eduardo Ermita who was recently appointed defense secretary, a ranking government official said here yesterday.

The same official said incoming presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles was tapped to replace Ermita but this was deferred after talks were held among these officials upon President Arroyo’s arrival from the US and Europe early this week.

The official said the appointment of Afable is being considered since Mindanao leaders are pushing for the appointment of a chief peace negotiator from the South.

"Afable has extensive training on strategic discussions and he writes the speeches of the President. But as to his acceptability to Mindanaoans, that we still have to see," the official said.

Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza was the last Mindanaoan to have been appointed but gave up the post early this year to focus on his work as chairman of the Mindanao Economic and Development Council.

On the possible appointment of Deles, the official said the President decided not to give her a slot in the peace panel, stressing her function was more on proper oversight of all government peace initiatives, including those with the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

The official said the government is now working "double overtime" for more exploratory talks with the communists, aside from the formal peace talks with the MILF in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before Mrs. Arroyo’s term ends in June.

The peace negotiations were made possible after Mrs. Arroyo recently signed a ceasefire agreement with the MILF and effectively lifted the bounty reward on its leaders as well as military offensives against its fighters.

With the resignation of Dureza as chief peace negotiator, Ermita was appointed to take over the post in concurrent capacity.

But after Angelo Reyes resigned as defense chief last Aug. 29, Ermita was again appointed by Mrs. Arroyo to the post after taking over the defense portfolio in concurrent capacity for several weeks.

Reyes was appointed back to the Cabinet as ambassador-at-large on counter-terrorism last Tuesday.