JICA hopeful government, MILF to forge peace accord soon

TOKYO, JAPAN – Officials of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is hopeful that the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would soon forge a peace agreement.

Hideo Noda, JICA officer to the Philippines, said Japanese officials are monitoring the efforts of the Philippine government and the MILF to achieve peace in Mindanao, where JICA has several ongoing projects.

“(Even before the peace agreement is achieved) however, we are doing many projects, hoping the peace agreement will be done in the near future,” Noda said.

Noda said there are some restrictions on the implementation of JICA projects because security is a major concern in Mindanao.

He cited the criminal activities carried out by the Abu Sayyaf and some rogue members of the MILF.

Japan announced last December that it accepted the invitation to become a member of the International Contact Group (ICG) monitoring the peace process between the government and the MILF.

Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura informed Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis, who also heads the government peace panel, and Mohagher Iqbal, MILF information chief, that Japan had agreed to become an ICG member.

“In Mindanao, JICA has three sub-programs on administration, community and peace building,” said Noda, explaining that under the administration aspect, JICA is working to enhance governance especially in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

He said JICA community projects include health care, education, water supply, and small health centers.

JICA had provided $2.1 billion in aid grants, $1.9 billion in technical cooperation, and $6.9 billion in bilateral loans to the Philippines from 1968 to 2008.

Noda said JICA has dispatched two personnel to the International Monitoring Team (IMT) to contribute to the peace process.

The Malaysia-led IMT will be redeployed to Mindanao next month for the resumption of the formal peace talks between the government and MILF.

Seguis said an advance team would arrive in the first week of February to check on housing and other arrangements and determine the exact date of deployment for the entire IMT contingent.

“(The arrival of IMT members) is an indication that peace talks will continue,” he said.

Seguis said the government and MILF have invited Indonesia, Qatar, Norway, and the European Union to join the IMT.

“We are waiting for them to respond,” he said.

The government and MILF agreed last month to restart the stalled negotiations on a Comprehensive Compact for Peace in Mindanao.        – With Pia Lee-Brago