Govt, MILF ink pact for peaceful Oct 25 polls

The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will work together to make sure Monday's barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections in parts of Mindanao will be peaceful. Government and MILF representatives signed the "guidelines for mutual understanding" in Cotabato City Thursday, the MILF said on its website Friday. "The purpose is to safeguard the GRP–MILF Agreement on the General Cessation of Hostilities, Security Aspect of the GRP–MILF Agreement on Peace of June 2001 ... the GRP-MILF Peace Process, in general, from adverse effects and repercussions while the government ensures the conduct of honest, orderly and peaceful elections on October 25, (2010)," the MILF said. But the MILF said the pact also stressed the undertaking is a function related "purely" to the ceasefire and peace process, and not to the elections. The Moro group added it has not changed its stance that it will not take part in the government's electoral processes. "This is not to be interpreted as MILF’s inconsistency to its standing policy not to take part nor meddle in whatever capacity on the government electoral processes," the MILF quoted part of the pact as saying. Signing the pact were officials of the government and MILF Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH). The signing ceremony was held at the Cotabato City Headquarters of the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team (IMT), which monitors the security, socio-economic, humanitarian and rehabilitation, civilian protection components of the peace process. "This undertaking between the government and MILF can greatly help the efforts of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Comelec-deputized security forces to ensure that there will be orderly elections," said government CCCH chairman Maj. Gen. Reynaldo Sealana. "Our peace panel instructed us to collaborate on this undertaking as a goodwill and confidence building measure for the peace process between the government and MILF," added MILF CCCH chairman Said Shiek. Sealana and Shiek signed the guidelines along with Maj. Gen. Datuk Baharom bin Hamzah, IMT head of mission of IMT. The guidelines will be implemented starting Saturday and will end Wednesday, October 27. Under the pact, the two CCCHs in cooperation with the IMT and its Civilian Protection Team, the Local Monitoring Teams (LMTs), and Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Post (JCMP) “shall undertake heightened / special ceasefire-related functions in order to safeguard the GRP – MILF Ceasefire Accord and the Peace Process." Movements and deployment of election personnel, paraphernalia, documents, voters, and AFP-PNP election security personnel, to and from all the polling centers situated within the MILF communities shall not be hampered. — RSJ, GMANews.TV