Noynoy asks Deles to resume role as adviser in peace panel

MANILA, Philippines - Presidential frontrunner Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party said yesterday he had asked Teresita “Ging” Deles to resume her role as adviser on the peace process under his administration.

Aquino also told The STAR that he was considering Prof. Sonny Coloma, who served as transportation and communications undersecretary in the Ramos government, to be part of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS).

“He might come in but I really don’t want speculations to rise at this time. Of course I would want my own PMS chief,” Aquino said when asked if he would retain Elena Bautista, the PMS chief of President Arroyo.

Aquino said this was the only name he could confirm at this time although text messages were circulating that he had filled most of the positions in his Cabinet.

He denied those messages and said he did not even know some of the persons floated to have been appointed.

Aquino disclosed Deles would be in addition to Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, who would get her job back as social welfare secretary.

There were rumors that Soliman wanted the environment portfolio but this was not given to her.

Both Soliman and Deles served under Arroyo but later became part of the Hyatt 10, the group of Cabinet officials who asked the Chief Executive to step down from office following allegations of election cheating.

The president-apparent said retired chief justice Reynato Puno had declined his offer to be justice secretary when they met during the wake of Quezon Gov. Rafael Nantes.

Reports have also been coming out that lawyer Jojo Ochoa, the Quezon City administrator, was chosen by Aquino to be his executive secretary. But Aquino would neither confirm nor deny it.

Aquino likewise clarified that his sisters, Maria Elena “Ballsy” Cruz and Aurora Corazon “Pinky” Abellada, were not part of his search committee and would only give inputs on the backgrounds of those being considered and recommended.

“They were part of the campaign group and dealt with people who are being considered for certain positions and they told me their interactions. They are there to assist me to know the things I didn’t know during the campaign because I was out in the field. But to be part of the search committee, it’s only insofar as to validate my opinions of certain people who they worked with on a more constant basis during the campaign,” he said.

Aquino said he did not want to announce the names of those in the search committee because they were being bombarded with recommendations and endorsements.

“The (search) continues and I will announce the names at once… Consultations are ongoing and there are many who are applying,” Aquino told reporters before the start of the all-senator caucus on the nine-man canvassing panel from the Senate to sit as the National Board of Canvassers for the presidential and vice presidential races.

Aquino said it would be better for him to make the announcement of his Cabinet after he had been formally proclaimed.

“There are primary names being considered, of course there will be background checks conducted. Even those who conduct the background check we vet. In the United States, vetting is formally done. There are waivers of privacy signed so the check will be complete. Here, there is none, in the US they have what you call a plum book listing the complete presidential appointees. Here they are going to give us a list but it would be nice if we would research as well,” Aquino said.

He said they would also have to see if some of the temporary appointments could be revoked if they would not be that significant.

Already in place

Whoever may become the next peace adviser, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary and chairman of the Government Peace Negotiating Panel Rafael Seguis said the outgoing administration has put in place the basic architecture to ensure the continuity of talks under the Aquino administration.

Seguis delivered the Philippine statement during the plenary of the 37th Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference held on May 18-20 at Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

In his statement, Seguis highlighted the developments in the peace process in Mindanao, particularly on the tripartite review of the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the ongoing peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

He said that the peace and development agenda in Mindanao and the welfare of Muslim Filipinos have always been a priority of the Philippine government.

“As a sovereign state, it is our duty to recognize the aspirations, protect the rights and promote the welfare and development of our Muslim brothers. This is a state policy, enshrined no less than in our Constitution,” he said.

“The tripartite review of the implementation of Phase 2 of the peace pact is moving at full speed,” he added.

The government and MNLF panels signed last month in Tripoli a memorandum of understanding to continue discussions on contentious issues and complete the work of proposing the necessary changes to the law tat created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

By the end of this month, another meeting between the government and MNLF legal panels will be held in Surabaya, Indonesia, to be followed by another tripartite meeting to consider the outcome of the earlier meeting,

He noted that the government and MILF peace panels have resumed negotiations and achieved considerable gains in the talks for a comprehensive compact for the past few months of meetings in Kuala Lumpur.

The International Monitoring Team (IMT) has been redeployed and a civilian protection component was added to the IMT. Both parties have agreed to ensure the return of the remaining internally displaced persons to their respective communities and places of origin. 

“We expect another round of meetings with the MILF by early June,” he said.

According to Seguis, the government has reiterated its resolve to bring development to Mindanao, through the signing of Republic Act 9997 which created the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos on Feb. 18, and the issuance of Executive Order 872 which established the Bangsamoro Development Assistance Fund (BDAF) on March 16.

The Commission is tasked to carry out economic, educational, cultural, and infrastructural programs for Muslim Filipino communities all over the country. It is granted an initial budget of at least P100 million (about $2.2 million) for operations.

The BDAF is for the development and rehabilitation of Mindanao, specifically to speed up the economic recovery and expansion of conflict-affected areas. 

It is also granted a seed money of P100 million, and is intended to be the mechanism for accessing and channeling of funds from the OIC, its special bodies and member countries. – With Pia Lee-Brago