The secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Wednesday named a former president, two lawmakers, and several former and incumbent officials in Mindanao among the top 10 “spoilers" of the ongoing peace negotiations with the government. The MILF said the motive of the 10 “is to undermine and destroy the peace process for their own selfish end." Those who are on the list are:
former North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piñol, Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat, former President Joseph Estrada, columnist Ramon Tulfo, Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz, Basilan bishop Martin Jumoad, Cotabato City bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, columnist Ducky Paredes, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, and Sen. Francisco “Chiz" Escudero Khaled Musa, deputy chairman of the MILF committee on information, said Transport Secretary Manuel “Mar" Roxas II and former Makati City Rep. Teodoro Locsin III were dropped from the list “for their silence nowadays." The MILF, the largest secessionist group in the country, said the 10 were selected based on their actuations during debates on the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional in 2008. “They believe the emerging peace threatens their power, world view, and interests. Sometimes, some even resort to violence to stop the process from succeeding. Hatred of Moros, religious bigotry, or jealous of the MILF’s successes also factor-in in many of these personalities’ decision against the peace process," the group said. It said the 10 individuals’ reactions toward the MILF’s proposal for the establishment of a Bangsamoro sub-state and the Aug. 4 Tokyo meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and MILF chairman Al Haj Murad were also factored in. It, however, said that Lagman and Escudero are not as hardened spoilers as the eight others “because their comments are more politically-motivated rather than their deep-seated biases or antagonism against the Moros of Mindanao." — KBK, GMA News 
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