MILF not bothered by state of emergency

DAVAO CITY — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is unperturbed by President Arroyo’s declaration of a state of emergency and remains hopeful that a final peace agreement will be forged before the end of the year.

"The declaration is not directed at us in the MILF. It is more for people in Metro Manila. So far, we have nothing to fear," MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told The STAR.

Kabalu said the MILF has been watching closely the recent political developments in Metro Manila and has been analyzing the statements of the President.

"The state of emergency does not affect the peace process. The ceasefire is still holding in the grounds even with the state of emergency," Kabalu said.

He likewise explained that the declaration has not affected the Malaysia-led international team monitoring the ceasefire between the MILF and government forces.

The government and the MILF peace panels are set to resume formal talks next month after they resolve the contentious issue of ancestral domain.

Government chief negotiator Silvestre Afable earlier said a final peace agreement may be forged before the year ends.

But Afable also warned that a final peace agreement with the MILF will only be signed if amendments are made to the peace accord forged by the government the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1996.

"There are certain provisions in the 1996 agreement that need to be amended. And so government leaves it to both the MILF and the MNLF to talk and decide on what to do with the provisions involving substantive powers and management of resources," Afable told The STAR.

alm in Davao, Zamboanga

C Despite the ongoing political turmoil in Metro Manila, all is calm here in Davao City.

Davao is actually still in a "state of lawlessness" after it was declared as such in April 2003 after a powerful bomb ripped off the passenger terminal of the Sasa Wharf that killed 17 people and injured a hundred others.

The state of lawlessness, as provided for in General Order No. 3, was also prompted by the fact that 28 days prior to the bombing, a separate explosion occurred at the waiting shed of the old Davao International Airport where 22 people died and more than 150 others wounded.

General Order No. 3 paved the way for the creation of the Army-led Task Force Davao, which ordered the military to assist the local police in suppressing acts of terrorism and violence in Regions XI and XII.

City Administrator Wendel Avisado said there is no overlap between the two orders as the declaration of a "state of lawlessness" in Davao was a more part of the security plan of the city and does not run counter to the provisions of presidential Proclamation 1017 or the state of emergency.

Avisado said Mayor Rodrigo Duterte even offered the city as a "protest all you can" area to militant and opposition groups calling for the ouster of the President.

"You can bring EDSA here if you want. But make sure you do not resort to violence. As long as there is no violence, it is okay with me," said Duterte who is one of the most avid supporters of the President.

The local government in Zamboanga also said it is ready to issue rally permits amid the declaration of Proclamation 1017.

Zamboanga Mayor Celso Lobregat said they will not prevent protesters from expressing their views. "So long as it is a peaceful rally, we will not prevent it," he said.

So far, however, Lobregat said nobody has applied for a permit to rally yet since Friday’s proclamation. — With Roel Pareño