MILF meeting business, diplomats, churches, academe in Manila

MILF meeting business, diplomats, churches, academe in Manila
03-May-11, 9:03 PM | Romy Elusfa, special to InterAksyon.com


COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Negotiators of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will meet business groups, leaders of academe, the diplomatic community and different churches in Manila from Wednesday to Saturday to discuss their proposals for a political settlement to the decades-old conflict in Mindanao.

Organized by the International Alert-UK, in partnership with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Center for Development Management, the Mindanao Business Council and the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), the rebel negotiators, led by Mohagher Iqbal, who is also the MILF information officer, will discuss the Mindanao peace process, “in particular the economic and development framework and platform the MILF has proposed to the government.”

Francisco Lara Jr., country director of the International Alert-UK, explained that the series of consultations “is aimed at harnessing economic and business actors to lean upon state and not-state actors to persist in their efforts to achieve an enduring peace in Mindanao” and a recognition of the “influential and powerful voice of the economic actors in shaping strategic political decisions in conditions of crisis and conflict.”

The meeting with leaders of the business sector will be held at the AIM-World Bank Global Distance Learning Center at 2 p.m. on May 6. Guests will also have an opportunity to meet personally with the MILF panel members during cocktails that follow the meeting.

The Mindanao Solidarity Network (MSN), composed of Manila-based civil society organizations, on the other hand, is organizing the dialogues with the CSOs, church leaders and workers, and representatives of academic institutions, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Tech Portal Conference Room A, Techno Hub, Commonwealth, Quezon City on May 5.

Ernesto Anarias, head of secretariat of the MSN and executive director of Balay Rehabilitation Center, explained that the meetings with CSOs would be their way of promoting “better understanding of the outstanding issues in the negotiations. We consider this a unique opportunity for Manila civil society to take part in shaping viable and sustainable political options to resolve the root causes of the armed conflict in Mindanao.”

The consultation with foreign diplomats will be held at the British Embassy at 2:30 p.m. on May 5.

Bae Liza Saway, chairperson of the MPC, MSN’s partner in organizing the meetings with CSOs, stressed the importance of the consultations, saying “the MILF peace panel deems it imperative to conduct these open and mutual dialogues with the stakeholders to elicit their views, ideas, and questions with regard to MILF’s position and proposals in the talks.”

After the consultations and dialogues with the MILF panel in Manila, Saway, who is also a leader of the Talaandig tribe of Bukidnon, said they conduct another round of similar activities in Mindanao.

The MPC had arranged consultations from March to early April in the provinces of Cotabato, Lanao, South Cotabato, Sarangani and Davao.