Congress to be consulted on Manila-MILF settlement

The upper and lower houses of the Congress will be fully consulted if the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) reach a final political settlement, said Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable.

Once the MILF and government peace panels succeed in achieving a political settlement, the MILF will propose for a referendum on autonomy or independence, said MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu.

Sources said if the Muslims eventually opt for autonomy, Congress will have to amend the law which called for referendum for autonomy in the southern Philippines in 1987. After the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forged a political settlement in 1996, Congress amended the law in 2001, and paved the way for the holding of another referendum for autonomy in August 2001.

The referendum resulted in the expansion of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) from four to six province members. The second amendment of the law on referendum, following a government-MILF peace settlement for autonomy, would further expand the ARMM membership.

Sources said more Muslims are expected to vote for the inclusion of their respective provinces and cities in the ARMM if the government and the MILF eventually forge a political settlement.

Meanwhile, Presidential Adv-iser on Special Concerns Secretary Norberto Gonzales and MILF vice chairperson Al Hadj Murad held a meeting on confidence-building measure in Kuala Lumpur, which ended late on Thursday, said Afable.

As the two camps firmed up their commitments to peace and rehabilitation of Mindanao, southern Philippines, the MILF committed three major points.

The government received 'a very firm assurance" from the MILF through Murad that there would be no armed MILF members in places covered by the rehabilitation programmes in central Mindanao, said the press secretary.

The MILF also assured that none of its (armed) members would mix with evacuees who have returned to their communities in certain conflict areas in Mindanao, said Afable.

"The MILF also conveyed to the government their commitment to continue to be part of the effort against terrorism and that they would disallow foreigners from entering any area where they are situated," the press secretary said.

These commitments were announced "for the peace of mind of the public," Afable said. The MILF "expressed its deep confidence that President Gloria Arroyo would be able to push the peace process to its logical conclusion."

The government-MILF settlement on rehabilitation and development in Mindanao which was signed in Kuala Lumpur last week is "more of a confidence-building measure; it is not yet the final agreement," said Afable.

The two camps are yet to settle issues on ancestral domains. Once this is settled, the two camps will proceed to forge a political settlement, Kabalu said.

The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) brokered the 1996 government-MNLF peace settlement. The OIC is also assisting the government and the MILF to reach a political agreement.