Mindanao solon cautions govt vs signing homeland deal with MILF

MANILA, Philippines - A North Cotabato lawmaker on Wednesday expressed fear that the signing of a homeland deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will inspire other separatist groups in Mindanao to ask for the same deal to expand their territories. Speaking at the weekly Sitio Fernandina Media forum in Greenhills, San Juan, Rep. Bernando Piñol Jr said many other groups in Mindanao will follow suit and the Philippine government will likely be forced to give in to such demands. “Maraming susunod dyan na grupo kapag ganyan ang style. (Many other rebel groups will follow if that’s the style of the government)," Piñol said. He added that he personally perceives that peace and order is not the issue in Mindanao but poverty. “The problem in Mindanao is still poverty and not peace and order," he said, noting that hammering out deals to accommodate the demands of rebel groups is not a long term solution but putting food on the table of poor families in Mindanao. The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) panel and the MILF is set to reportedly sign a MOA on the ancestral domain that would in effect expand the coverage of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on August 5. However, representatives of both parties have not disclosed the contents of the agreement. - GMANews.TV