COTABATO CITY, 20 December 2002 — Ground commanders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday pledged to respect and support the ongoing cease-fire agreement.
In a meeting of members of the Local Monitoring Teams (LMTs) throughout Mindanao, the military commanders from both sides said they recognized the need to maintain a peaceful climate in the field as negotiators resume formal peace talks scheduled Jan. 8-9 in Kuala Lumpur.
The declaration was seen as a shot in the arm of the peace process, which had been repeatedly threatened by intermittent fighting in the field. Both sides have blamed each other for provoking the clashes over the past months in the provinces of Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, North Cotabato and Maguindanao.
The military’s attendance was arranged by presidential adviser Jesus Dureza, head of the government peace negotiating panel, to make sure that soldiers in the field would abide by the cease-fire agreement.
Among the military commanders was Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga, chief of the army’s 6th Infantry Division, whose area covers Central Mindanao provinces.
During the meeting, it was emphasized that the role of the LMTs should not be confined to purely monitoring the cease-fire but also in the prevention or escalation of armed conflict between government and MILF troops within their areas of jurisdiction.
