ZAMBOANGA CITY, 31 October 2005 — Libya has pledged to support development efforts in the southern Philippines and urged local Muslims to unite for peace in the troubled region.
Libyan Ambassador Salem Adem gave the assurance during a Ramadan dinner, known as iftar, that the Libyan Embassy hosted in Manila for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), led by Gov. Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, and other diplomats on Saturday.
ARMM spokesman Samson Gogo said the ambassador pledged not only to support efforts in developing the five-province autonomous region, but also to promote peace in Mindanao.
“Mindanao, especially the Muslim areas, have been suffering from war and conflict for long time and so efforts must be focused to rehabilitate them. We should focus our efforts to promote unity and peace,” Gogo quoted Salem as saying.
Ampatuan said his administration is supporting the government’s peace efforts in the south, and is working to uplift the poor living condition of some 3 million Muslims in the autonomous region, according to his spokesman.
Libya, a member of the influential Organization of the Islamic Conference, is a strong supporter of the Philippine government’s peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and has previously helped in the safe release of many kidnapped Christian missionaries and civilians in Mindanao.
Last week, the Saudi Arabian Embassy also hosted an iftar for Ampatuan’s group and pledged at least $100 million worth of development funds to boost government infrastructure projects in the southern Philippines.
About $20 million would be used to fund road improvement projects in Basilan Island and the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao.
The money is part of a recent loan agreement between the two countries and would be sourced from the Saudi Fund for Development to the Philippines.
Saudi Arabia also pledged $50 million to boost development projects in the ARMM, which is composed of the provinces Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
The rest of the loans, signed earlier this month in Riyadh, would be mostly for other socioeconomic ventures.
Among these are an agreement investments, a memorandum of understanding on technical education and skills trainings, and another memorandum of understanding on academic and education cooperation between the two countries.
“This pledge of socioeconomic support by Saudi Arabia is really a big boost to our efforts of strengthening peace and sustainable development in the ARMM through various projects that can help alleviate the poverty of our Muslim people,” Ampatuan said.
Ampatuan also urged opposition politicians to join and help the government to bring peace and unity, and development to Mindanao.
“We should all stop political bickering and concentrate on economic development efforts, which will deliver our people from poverty. We must concentrate on economic development efforts and national unity to achieve progress,” Ampatuan said the dinner.
President Arroyo also appealed to the political opposition for unity so that the country could move forward.
“Governor Ampatuan is correct that our political leaders should stop political differences and focus their efforts to national development,” said Arroyo, who almost stepped down in July at the height of a crisis over her alleged cheating in last year’s presidential election.
A last-minute intervention by former President Fidel Ramos kept Arroyo from leaving the presidential palace. Her allies in the House of Representatives went on to defeat an impeachment complaint filed by the opposition against her.
Arroyo has admitted making a “lapse in judgment” when she called an unnamed election official while the votes were being counted, but denied cheating.
A tape recording of wiretapped conversations allegedly between Arroyo and then election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, copies of which were distributed to the public, showed the president discussing with Garcillano how to ensure her victory.
While denying any wrongdoing, Garcillano has fled the country, reportedly with the help of certain officials.
Arroyo’s foes, which include her former Cabinet officials and supporters, have rejected her appeal, saying she has lost her credibility to lead the nation.
