Pacquiao peacemaker role sparks new 'word war' between MILF, govt

Even before he could start playing peacemaker in the wake of a bloody clash in Basilan last week, Filipino boxing icon Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao has triggered a new word war between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said that while Pacquiao is an undisputed authority in boxing, he may not be knowledgeable enough about the peace problem in Mindanao. "Well, kung boksing ang pag-uusapan, maaaring siya ang chief negotiator pero ang problema sa Mindanao masyadong seryoso. Hindi sa minamaliit ko si Pacquiao, pero palagay ko ‘di masyadong malawak ang kaalaman niya sa [negotiations] kaya ‘di po nararapat siyang maging negotiator," Iqbal said in an interview on dwIZ radio Tuesday. (If we are talking about boxing, he can be chief negotiator. But the Mindanao problem is a serious matter. It’s not that I am belittling Pacquiao, but he is not knowledgeable and may not make a good negotiator). On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. suggested that Pacquiao be tapped to negotiate for peace with the Moro rebels, as he has the respect of both Christians and Muslims. Last July, Malacañang named Pacquiao a presidential envoy for peace and understanding to work for national unity. [See: Pacquiao hopes to find peace in Mindanao through sports] Pimentel’s suggestion came at the heels of a bloody clash in Basilan on August 12, where government troops captured an Abu Sayyaf camp but not before engaging several MILF members. DND defends Pacquiao The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the MILF exchanged accusations last weekend, with the AFP accusing the MILF of treachery and the MILF accusing the AFP of not coordinating with it earlier. But Iqbal’s rejection of Pacquiao drew a sharp criticism from Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who said Iqbal had no right to dismiss Pacquiao. "Sa akin, nasa mutual consent ng parties yan. Pero si Iqbal walang karapatang [magsalita] nang ganyan (To me, the idea that Pacquiao would act as negotiator still needs mutual consent of both parties. But Iqbal has no right to talk like that)," Teodoro said in a separate interview on dwIZ. He also questioned Iqbal’s credibility. "Sa sampung sinabi minsan siyam ang mali. Minsan nahihirapan akong intindihin ang katwiran [ng MILF] at yan ay dahil sa kakulangan sa transparency. Ano ba ang gusto nila; ano ba talaga ang pakay nila? Kailangan dapat transparent, sawa na sa gyera ang taumbayan (Sometimes, nine out of 10 statements of Iqbal are wrong. And I find it hard to understand the MILF now because of its lack of transparency. What does it want? They have to be transparent, because people are tired of war)," he said. In the meantime, Teodoro said the government is aiming to “stabilize" the situation and pulverize the Abu Sayyaf before the election period. He said this would involve both military operations and humanitarian missions to keep residents from being recruited to the Abu Sayyaf’s ranks. “Kailangan ma-stabilize namin ang situation before election period. Kung aabutan ng election period, madadagdagan ang problema natin at obvious naman kung bakit (We have to stabilize the situation before the election period. Otherwise we will have added problems by then, and the reasons are obvious)," he said. - GMANews.TV