MILF snubs Arroyo plan to continue peace efforts

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is not buying into outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s plan to continue efforts for Mindanao peace in her apparent capacity as Pampanga congresswoman. MILF secretariat chairman Muhammad Ameen dismissed Mrs. Arroyo’s claim as “all lip service and media hype," saying she will no longer be in a position to take such action. “If she was unable to solve the Moro Question during her time as the most powerful politician in this country for almost ten years, as president, how could she do this when she is a mere congresswoman? It’s all lip-service and media hype; it is not your time anymore," Ameen said on the MILF website Saturday. Ameen made the statement in response to Mrs. Arroyo’s remarks at the closing ceremony of the meeting of international peace negotiators at the New World Hotel in Makati City. The MILF is preparing to talk peace with the incoming administration of president-apparent Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III. On Friday, Mrs. Arroyo vowed to continue her peace initiatives, particularly in Mindanao, after her term ends on June 30 and as soon as she has joined the 15th Congress. “When I became President, I declared a policy of all-out peace in Mindanao. As President, I have fought every day in office to bring that peace to that great island. I will continue to do so until the last minute of my term as President and maybe even beyond. As Congresswoman I will file the bills that I feel are needed in order to bring just and lasting peace in Mindanao," she said. Mrs. Arroyo said she will file a bill in Congress calling for a policy review towards an enhanced autonomy in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to fully realize the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people. “It will be an enhanced autonomy, that’s one very basic bill that we will file," she said. “Mindanao is poised for peace. Whether we achieve it in the near future remains to be seen. For sure, there is more work to be done, but the efforts we have made over the last nine years have brought us closer to achieving long-term peace in the region," she added. But Ameen said that while several important documents were signed with the MILF under Mrs. Arroyo’s watch, these were overwhelmed by her administration’s failure to sign the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) in 2008. He attributed these failures to lack of political will on the part of Mrs. Arroyo and the evil machination of some of her Cabinet secretaries, such as Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales Jr., and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes. — LBG, GMANews.TV