The peace negotiators of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) held a one-day question-and-answer session in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur Thursday, March 4.
After the traditional opening remarks from the Parties especially by Datuk Othman bin Abdurazak, the Malaysian country facilitator, the two Parties remained poles apart in their positions contained in their respective draft on the comprehensive compact, which embodies the negotiated political solution to the centuries-old Moro question in Mindanao. The government stuck to its reformist approach of resolving this problem through executive orders, legislative measures, and the promise to undertake constitutional changes, while the MILF consistently argued for a negotiated settlement with the Parties, which, after signing the compact, will entail the reconfiguration of the totality of relationships between Filipinos and Moros necessitating processes or measures in compliance with their commitments or obligations.
The session, however, focused mainly on the MILF new draft designed to be signed as interim agreement to preserve the gains of the peace process, among other matters, and from which the next Filipino administration will pick up and continue the peace process.
By way of a PowerPoint presentation, the MILF explained its new 7-page draft, which is an extract from its 38-page draft on comprehensive compact presented to the GRP Peace Panel, copy furnished to all members of the International Contact Group (ICG) during the 17th GRP-MILF Exploratory Talks last January 27-28, 2010. After the presentation, the GRP Peace Panel was asked by the facilitator to ask questions, which they did starting from around 10:00am and continued to the afternoon. Subsequently, members of the ICG also asked questions after the facilitator relaxed the rules in view of the ICG status as observer during meetings of the Parties. It has become a norm that the ICG could also ask for special session with the Parties jointly or separately, as what they did in previous meetings.
“We were practically grilled for day-long,” said one MILF peace panel member, who did want to be identified.
After the meeting, GRP Peace Panel chairman Ambassador Rafael Seguis, along with Secretary Nasser Pangandamen, was overheard to have said: “Now we understand the MILF view or perspective.”
The GRP peace delegation was headed by Ambassador Seguis, and accompanied by Sec. Nasser Pangandaman, Dr. Ronald Adamat, Atty. Mariano Sarmiento, Atty. James Kho, Ryan Mark Sullivan, Zoilo Velasco, and Jennie Laruan. The MILF five-man delegation is as follows: Mohagher Iqbal, Chairman; Atty. Michael Mastura; Maulana Alonto; Antonio Kinoc; and Jun Mantawil.
Members of the ICG both representing states and international non-government organizations (INGOs) are as follows: Ambassador Boyd McCleary and Christopher Wright, United Kingdom; Hitoshi Ozawa and Kei Ischikawa, and Naoki Hikota of Japan; Yasin Temizkan of Turkey; David Gorman of the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue; Dr. Steven Rood and Herizal Hazri of the Asia Foundation; and Sudibyo Markus and Rudi Sukandar of Muhammadiyah of Indonesia. Absent from the ICG–INGOs were representatives from the London-based Conciliation Resources.
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