Priest-educator replaces Afable in peace panel

Father Eliseo Mercado, former president of the Notre Dame University in Cotabato City, has replaced Silvestre Afable Jr as chairman of the GRP-MILF peace panel, Secretary Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on the peace process told GMANews.TV on Saturday. Dureza said Mercado is a "welcome addition" to the peace efforts of the panel with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. "He is a peace-builder in Mindanao who is familiar with the peace process. He has been advising me in my work for quite sometime now," he told GMANews.TV in an interview. Mercado immediately assumed his post after Malacañang's announcement of Afable's resignation, Dureza said. "The panel will continue its work with Fr Mercado in a seamless transition." Asked why Afable resigned, Dureza said the former panel chairman told him that he wanted to "return to private practice." Based on his biography posted at http://www.cies.org/NCS/ncs_emercado.htm , Mercado is professor V at Notre Dame and teaches Peace and Development Studies to graduate students and Islamic Studies to undergraduate students. He is chairman of the Mindanao Leaders Coalition or Kusog Mindanaw whose advocacy is for peace and development in the region including campaigns for greater autonomy through federalism. Mercado is former president of Notre Dame in Cotabato from 1992 to 2002 and the Notre Dame Educational Association from 2000 to 2002 consisting of two universities, five colleges and 847 secondary and elementary Schools. He is also chairman of the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections in the Autonomous Regional in Muslim Mindanao since 1998. The new panel chairman was the assembly floor leader of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development Consultative Assembly during the period of political transition following the Peace Agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF from 1996 to 2001. He was designated chairperson of the independent cease-fire monitoring committee of the Philippine government and the MILF, a World Bank consultant and adviser to the Japanese Embassy on Mindanao. Mercado holds a doctorate in Divinity and Humanity, Master's degrees in Theology and Philosophy, and Bachelor's degrees in Theology and Philosophy, and Bachelor's degrees in Classics and Philosophy. He completed work in Islamic Studies and Arabic Studies at the Gregorian University in Rome and at the Oriental Institute in Cairo. - GMANews.TV