MILF forms new peace panel

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), acting on a self-imposed deadline, has formed a new panel for its peace negotiations with the government. MILF secretariat chairman Muhammad Ameen said Mohagher Iqbal will remain chairman of the peace panel, which basically has the same members as its previous panel, except for one new member. "The new face in the group, the fourth member, is Prof. Abhoud Syed Lingga, chairman of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies," the MILF said in an article on its website on Monday. Atty. Datu Michael Mastura and Maulana Bobby Alonto were retained as members of the negotiating panel. The fifth member is Abdullah Camlian, the erstwhile member and later chairman of the MILF Technical Committee. He is also an alternate member of the MILF peace panel. Camlian hails from Zamboanga City- Basilan, and is a Sama-Bangingi-Tausog mixed blood, the MILF said. Another alternate member of the panel is Datu Antonio Kinoc, of the B’laan tribe from Columbio, Sultan Kudarat. "Like Camlian, Kinoc had served in the MILF Teachnical Working Group (TWG) and is also a member of the MILF Technical Committee. He also served in the MILF peace panel as alternate member," the MILF said. The MILF said it reconstituted its peace negotiating panel Sunday, after its central committee held a meeting mainly to discuss this agenda. Those who were removed from the peace panel for health reasons were lawyers Lanang Ali and Musib Buat. "Both lawyers underwent heart bypasses and are deemed unfit for long travel, hectic schedules, and strenuous, prolonged, and tiring negotiations," the MILF said. However, the MILF said its peace panel will still seek their views and advises especially on legal issues regularly. The MILF also formed a board of consultants but the names of the members were not immediately available pending further deliberations by the MILF Central Committee. However, Ameen disclosed that the board will have two women– one a representative of the indigenous tribes and the other an Islamic theologian, commonly referred to as “aleem" or “ulama." The two women, according to Ameen, will come from Western Mindanao and Central Mindanao. Asked about the time frame on the release the names of the consultants, he replied, “It will not be very soon." He did not elaborate. –VVP, GMANews.TV