'Stop interim peace agreement with MILF'

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) was asked yesterday to stop the government from forging an interim peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) believed to be another version of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain that was declared unconstitutional last year.

In a 32-page petition, officials of North Cotabato led by Vice Gov. Emmanuel Piñol asked the SC to issue a temporary restraining order enjoining the government peace panel from signing an interim deal.

They also asked the SC to compel the respondents to make public an official copy of the draft agreement and temporarily stop negotiations with the MILF on the pact.

If the agreement was already signed by the government, they asked the SC to declare it null and void.

Named respondents in the case were members of the government peace panel: Ambassador Rafael Seguis, Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, Dr. Ronald Adamat, Dr. Grace Rebollos, lawyers Mariano Sarmiento, Ed Malaya, Zoilo Velasco and James Kho; Ryan Sullivan, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and its head, Annabelle Abaya.

The petitioners said they decided to seek relief from the SC following a Palace statement that President Arroyo would like to sign an interim peace agreement with the MILF before she steps down on June 30.