Mindanao bishop sees ‘hope’ in peace talks under Aquino

Despite the "skewed" view by some Christian politicians on the peace process, a Mindanao-based Catholic bishop sees signs of hope in peace efforts between government and secessionist rebels under Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, the likely winner in the presidential race. Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo cited Aquino for showing signs of goodwill and good intention in dealing with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). "Under the Noynoy Aquino regime, will the peace process progress despite the election campaign rhetoric? There are signs of hope: Instead of biding his time and even before he takes his oath of office, the president-elect has chosen his primary peace negotiator ... (Teresita) Deles, a person-oriented but hardworking technocrat basically known for her peace advocacy, is familiar with the peace-conflict terrain in southern Mindanao," he said in an entry published Sunday night on his weblog. On the other hand, he lauded the MILF for establishing a common ground with the Moro National Liberation Front at the prodding of the Organization of Islamic Conference. "I also hope that the wisdom of the late (MILF) Chairman Hashim Salamat who wanted, I believe, to establish peace within the parameters of what he realized as irreversible historical and geographical developments would continue to influence the Bangsa Moro leaders who carry on his legacy," he said. Still, Quevedo warned there are still many pitfalls regarding the peace process, noting many incoming members of the 15th Congress are opposed to the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD). The Supreme Court's junking of the MOA-AD in 2008 had led to fighting between government and MILF troops. Quevedo said the temptation is strong for the incoming administration to start from zero and not to follow in the footsteps of a peace negotiation that it perceives not only as a “failure" but also a “betrayal" of the Constitution. He said the chief government negotiator might want to hew closely to the bidding of principals who have expressed mistrust regarding previous peace talks and even tried to discredit them in favor of economic development. "It would seem that there is a wall of negative perceptions and feelings that the primary negotiator might have to break through. Her courage to stand up for her convictions is a great asset," he said. Quevedo scored some Christian politicians for having what he called a skewed view of the peace process between the government and the MILF. He said many of them think the ill-fated MOA-AD sacrificed national sovereignty and territorial integrity for the sake of peace; the present peace negotiation between the GRP panel and the MILF is a repeat of the same; the present peace talks are characterized by lack of consultation and transparency; any “midnight" signing must be forestalled; and the fundamental solution to the conflict in southern Mindanao is not a peace agreement, but a comprehensive no-nonsense economic development program. He lamented such a view, "no matter how skewed and incorrect," has been used in the election campaign by politicians at the local and national level as an issue to gain votes from Christians in Mindanao. "No Christian politician dared to go on a limb to defend the present peace talks for fear of losing Christian votes. The rhetoric has successfully glossed over the truth, despite some clear presentation of the government position by the GRP group," he said. - KBK, GMANews.TV