WB assesses socio-economic thrusts in ceasefire areas

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao — The World Bank has begun its study of appropriate socio-economic thrusts in areas covered by the ceasefire agreement between the government and Moro secessionist forces to complement the Mindanao peace process.

Col. Franklin del Prado, civil-military relations chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said all of their units in Central Mindanao are now coordinating with local officials and the joint ceasefire committee of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to ensure the safety of World Bank experts conducting the "joint needs assessment" (JNA).

Members of the government-MILF ceasefire committee told The STAR the JNA is aimed at rebuilding war-devastated areas in the South.

"Our understanding is that it is not something that comes after the government and the MILF have forged a peace pact, but something that will help accelerate economic stability in far-flung areas while the talks are underway," one of them said.

Del Prado said Maj. Gen. Raul Relano, newly installed 6th ID commander, has tasked their officers in the government’s ceasefire panel to work closely with their MILF counterparts in providing security to the World Bank experts.

In a press statement, Mohaquer Iqbal, chairman of the MILF peace panel, said the World Bank is being assisted by the Bangsamoro Development Agency, a multisectoral, non-government organization organized two years ago to serve as a conduit for humanitarian projects in rebel strongholds.

Iqbal said the MILF is open to development initiatives to hasten normalcy in war-torn areas as long as the so-called native inhabitants will benefit from them without being dislodged from their communities.

Deputy Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Virgilio Leyretana, whose office is helping oversee the JNA, said Malacañang and the World Bank will help each other find potential sources of grants to bankroll community-based projects in places where MILF forces are scattered.

"President Arroyo is keen on implementing various rehabilitation projects, through multi—sectoral cooperation, in areas covered by the ceasefire while the talks are ongoing to make the people feel that the government is, indeed, serious in fostering peace and sustainable development in Mindanao," Leyretana said.

Just two months ago, representatives of the MILF, the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Mindanao, the Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process and the Department of National Defense jointly put up billboards urging the public to support the ceasefire, in areas where soldiers and Moro guerrillas often clash due to territorial disputes.

The government and MILF peace panels have also activated a 24-hour security observation post, equipped with modern communication facilities, in the 3,000-hectare Buliok complex, to help local guerrillas and the military oversee the ceasefire.