MILF hails appointment of new peace adviser

DAVAO CITY , Philippines  – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) hailed the appointment of Nabil Tan as head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) replacing Avelino Razon Jr. who resigned so he could run for mayor of Manila in next year’s elections.

“The appointment of Tan is a welcome development because he is from Mindanao and he understands Mindanao better than the others who headed the OPAPP,” MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told The STAR.

Kabalu said Tan, who hails from Sulu, is knowledgeable of the decades-old conflict in the South.

“Tan knows Mindanao so well. And with that, we expect a better understanding between the parties in the peace process,” he added.

Kabalu said Tan deserves his new appointment as he has been with the OPAPP for a long time.

Tan has been with the OPAPP even during the administration of former President Fidel Ramos when the final peace accord with the Moro National Liberation Front was forged in 1996. In 2001, he was appointed officer-in-charge of the agency.

Tan vowed to continue searching for ways and means to peacefully settle the armed conflict.

“If we can put a closure to it before the next administration commences, so much the better,” he said.

“Now is the time to end the fighting and have lasting peace in our country. Enough is enough of this bloody warfare,” he added.

– With Jose Rodel Clapano