MANILA, 31 March 2006 — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said yesterday she expects a peace pact with Muslim separatist rebels this year, and appealed for international support in rebuilding conflict-stricken communities in the country’s south.
“I believe that before the year is out, we would be able to achieve a lasting peace in Mindanao with your support,” Arroyo said in a speech at an international donors’ meeting in Tagaytay city, south of Manila.
“The last mile is always the hardest sailing because that is when the destination is in sight, but the winds of resistance will blow most fiercely,” she said.
Government negotiators met with their counterparts from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) recently in Malaysia in the latest round of informal talks to end more than three decades of rebellion, and agreed to resume discussions early next month.
Arroyo said “nothing will be more powerful for the future development of the Philippines than to bring peace, stability and justice to Mindanao,” which is regarded as the Filipino Muslim homeland.
She told donors: “Please consider providing your aid now even as we await the signing of a final peace accord as several nations have already done under the Mindanao Trust Fund of the World Bank.”
The bank and international donors so far have contributed $2.7 million and promised $50 million more after a peace agreement is signed.
“Mindanao has great potential for rapid development if different groups can begin to trust each other, find agreements, and, together, focus on the development ... especially those areas that have been affected by the armed conflict,” World Bank representative Joachim von Amsberg said.
‘Let’s Sign a Deal First’
The MILF lauded Arroyo’s call for help but added that an agreement should first be put in place.
“While we welcome President Arroyo’s appeal for international aid and while we join her efforts to develop war-torn areas in Mindanao, the MILF must say that a comprehensive peace agreement is very important before donor countries can help and start pouring aid to the region,” MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said by phone from a rebel base in Mindanao.
Kabalu said many donor countries, such as the United States, Japan, Australia and Canada, and the European Union and Muslim countries led by Saudi Arabia, Libya and Malaysia, have pledged to help once the peace agreement is finally signed.
“We will appreciate all foreign assistance to Mindanao for the future of the Bangsamoro people,” Kabalu said.
As planned, he said, all assistance intended for the development of the conflict affected areas in the region would be taken care by a Bangsaranao Development Agency (BDA), being the authorized agency to identify, lead and manage the same as provided in the agreement signed by both the MILF and the Arroyo government.
“It is the BDA which has the authority to spend resources intended for the conflict affected areas either for infrastructure projects or otherwise and other than stability in the region, the economic well being of the country is expected to take off once the conflict in Mindanao shall find comprehensive just, fair and acceptable solution,” Kabalu said.
But Kabalu said the MILF cannot start all these things unless the final peace agreement is signed.
“The peace agreement will be the basis of everything. We do not want to make the same mistakes the (former Muslim separatist rebel group) Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) did when it signed a peace deal with the Philippine government and accepted a limited autonomy in Mindanao,” he said.
The MNLF under Nur Misuari signed a peace deal with then President Fidel Ramos ending decades of clashes in southern Philippines, and accepted autonomy over four Muslim provinces that were later expanded into 5 provinces.
Misuari then became governor or the Muslim autonomous region, but later resume his rebellion, accusing the government of failing to honor the peace agreement. After a failed attack on a major military base in Jolo island, he fled to Malaysia, but was arrested there and sent back to Manila where he is facing rebellion charges.
