MILF hopes Mar will change stance on peace talks

MANILA, Philippines - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is hopeful that incoming Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II will reconsider his stance on the peace talks.

In an editorial posted on its website luwaran.com, the MILF said Roxas could still change his views even if he was one of the fiercest opponents of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD).

“We strongly believe he (Roxas) is not that person or leader now. In fairness to him, he is not a cheap leader or politician. He simply did not see the need for the MOA-AD’s signing, as others saw it,” the MILF said.

The Supreme Court declared the MOA-AD, which could have provided the MILF more political and economic powers, unconstitutional in 2008.

The agreement would have formed the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE), an expansion of what is now the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The BJE would have included areas in Palawan, South Cotabato, Zamboanga City, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, and Zamboanga del Sur.

Then senator Roxas joined local officials, including North Cotabato Vice Gov. Emmanuel Piñol, Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat, and Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz, in questioning the MOA-AD before the SC.

The group said Roxas is “still the same person, body and soul, who spearheaded, as stated above, in shooting down the MOA-AD before the Supreme Court.”

“However, the future is not for us to determine. There are factors that can alter this equation,” it said.

The MILF said President Aquino has vowed to finish the peace talks within his term and that Roxas is just one of his lieutenants.