The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will sign an agreement with the Philippine government to ensure that there will be no hostilities in Mindanao when President-apparent Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III takes over from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on June 30, a top Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official said on Tuesday. Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, who is chief of the government panel in the negotiations with the MILF, said he is set to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to sign a “closure statement” with the MILF. Seguis said the document and the presence of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao would “ensure peace on the ground while the government is in transition.” Seguis spoke after receiving the “Bayani” (hero) award from Arroyo during the DFA's 112th Foundation Day celebration. Seguis received the award for pursuing an interfaith dialogue and the peace process with the MILF. Seguis admitted that they won't be able to sign an interim peace agreement with the MILF before Arroyo's term ends, saying they lack time and “we need to consult all the stakeholders.” But he said the Arroyo government should not be blamed for the failure to sign an interim pact. “It really takes two to tango. It is not the fault of the facilitator and they should not blame the Philippine government for that,” he said. He said the document they would sign with the MILF would list the achievements made so far by both the Philippine government and MILF panels since they resumed peace talks last year. Negotiations were suspended in August 2008 after the Supreme Court ruled that the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), which gave autonomy to several provinces where Bangsa Moro people live in Mindanao, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruling not only stalled the peace talks but also led to Moro attacks on civilian population in central Mindanao. Seguis said Malaysia “should be kept” as facilitator in the Philippine government's peace negotiation with the MILF because of its “close relationship” with the Moro secessionist group. “Malaysia has been effective facilitator. To me, Malaysia should be kept,” he told reporters. During his two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, Seguis said he and the MILF leaders will tackle the terms of reference regarding the participation of European Union and Norway in the IMT. The EU earlier agreed to send experts to the southern Philippines to lead the IMT's humanitarian, rehabilitation, and development component. The IMT was deployed in 2004, and by 2008 included personnel from Malaysia, the third-party facilitator and IMT head, as well as Brunei, Japan and Libya. Seguis also commented on an earlier statement made by MILF chairman Mohagher Iqbal who lamented Arroyo's failure to solve the Moro problem in Mindanao, nearly 10 years after she took office.
