Govt, MILF to tackle ‘rogue’ rebel leader in talks

The government will bring up with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) the status of “rogue" commander Ameril Umbra Kato when they resume formal peace talks in Malaysia on Monday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte on Sunday said the government peace panel is expected to “discuss" the issue of Kato with its MILF counterpart. “Bukas magsisimula ang talks between MILF at panel ng gobyerno. Expected ay bibigay natin ang ating proposal and issue ni Umbra Kato will be discussed," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. She also said the government panel is expected to tackle the “consequences" of the MILF’s so-called lost commands. Kato led several “rogue" MILF units in attacking civilian areas in Mindanao in 2008, shortly after the Supreme Court voided the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain between the government and the MILF. The government and MILF panels’ meeting takes place more than two weeks after President Benigno Aquino III personally met top MILF officials, led by chairman Al Haj Murad, in Japan last Aug. 4. Last Saturday, MILF Central Committee secretariat chairman Muhammad Ameen said only Kato is presently posing a problem for the MILF leadership. “Only Ameril Omra Kato is presently posing problem to the MILF leadership, and the [rest] are loyal to the MILF under Al Haj Murad Ebrahim," he said in an article on the MILF website. Kato had reportedly formed his own group, calling it th eBangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), even as Ameen said the MILF will soon issue a major policy statement on their status. In the MILF article Saturday, Ameen had described Kato as “stubborn, intolerant, very emotional, and rigid in outlook." — KBK, GMA News