MANILA: The Philippines is open to calls to halt an army offensive against rogue Muslim rebels, the most senior military commander in the south said yesterday, adding that the conflict was taking a large toll in lives and money.
“We are open to a cease-fire because we realize that we can’t end this problem by annihilating each other,” Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna, the military’s vice chief of staff and commander of all military forces in Mindanao, said.
Luna said any decision to halt the offensive and return to negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would be a political issue.
“Our police operations would continue until we are told to stop,” he said, adding the military was aware of numerous calls from church groups and non-government organizations for a truce due to the death and destruction in the south.
