Deles remains tight-lipped on PHL counter-proposal to MILF stand

The Philippine government remained tight-lipped about its formal response to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)'s draft proposal for the exploratory talks in Malaysia. At a press conference in Ortigas on Friday, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles confirmed that the government has already prepared its counter-proposal and would be presenting it when peace talks resume on June 27 and 28 in Kuala Lumpur. However, Deles refused to give details as to the points they outlined in the counter-proposal, stressing the importance to keep them first between the panels until "the time is right." The MILF earlier submitted its draft Comprehensive Compact during peace talks in Malaysia last February 8 and 9. Government panel head Marvic Leonen earlier said the "compact" proposes the recognition of a Bangsamoro identity while maintaining the Filipino citizenship of inhabitants in the region. In response, the government panel said the MILF's proposal was not yet the final working draft because the government side will still have to submit its counter-proposal. "Basta there is serious work," Deles insisted at the conference, without elaborating. She even refused to say if President Benigno Aquino III has already gone over the counter-proposal that the government panel has come up with. Deles acknowledged the role of the International Monitoring Team in overseeing the peace negotiations with the MILF, which has been fighting for autonomy since the 1970s. "We hope that they will see that we are sincere and serious to have a solution not only to have a good agreement but to ensure a just agreement," she said. The IMT has representatives from Malaysia, Brunei, Libya, Japan, Norway and European Union (EU). It monitors the ceasefire, civilian protection component, rehabilitation and development, and socio-economic agreements between the government and the MILF. - VVP, GMA News