Manila: The Philippine government said it plans to complete the implementation of the provisions of the peace agreement it signed with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1996.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles said that despite setbacks besetting the peace pact, the administration of President Benigno Aquino III "reiterates its commitment to bring closure to this peace track on mutually agreed terms, with due diligence and utmost sincerity on the part of government".

The peace agreement was signed by President Fidel V. Ramos and MNLF leader Nur Misuari in September 2, 1996. The pact ended two decades of hostility in Mindanao that cost the lives of tens of thousands of combatants from both sides as well as civilians.

Part of the agreement was a commitment from the government to develop parts of Mindanao that suffered from the conflict as well as the integration of MNLF fighters into the Philippine armed forces.

Quintos-Deles said the government intends to fully implement the provisions of the 14-year-old agreement within Aquino's six-year term. Aquino assumed the presidency on June 30.

"We hope the leadership of the MNLF will match government's efforts with the same firm resolve," she added.

Quintos-Deles acknowledged the support of Indonesia in seeing through the peace process with the MNLF.

In a recent meeting with Ambassador Rezlan Ishar Jenie, chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Conference Peace Committee for Southern Philippines (OIC-PCSP) at the Indonesian embassy in Manila, she assured that the government will fully participate in the completion of the tripartite process.

Doable measures

"We have asked that the process be straightforward rather than circuitous and that all provisions agreed upon be doable and measurable," Quintos-Deles said.

"In pursuing this and all other peace tracks, it is the welfare of the families and communities on the ground that government wishes to ensure and uphold," she said.

Indonesia currently leads the OIC-PCSP. The OIC brokered the peace talks between the Philippine government and the MNLF, which led to the signing of the final peace agreement in 1996.