MILF doubts gov't 'commitment' to peace process

MANILA, Philippines - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) accused the government Wednesday of deceiving the international community by claiming that it remains committed to the peace process. MILF deputy spokesman Khaled Musa dismissed as empty rhetoric the claim of Presidential Peace Process Adviser Jesus Dureza about government's "commitment" to the peace process. "The only purpose of (Dureza's statement) is to make a mockery of the peace talks and delay its resumption while the government works to secure as many funding for the rehabilitation of Mindanao, which, however, fall mainly into the pockets of corrupt government men," he said in a statement on the MILF website. Musa was referring to Dureza's speech at the 4th Asia-Pacific Dialogue in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, that even with several factors hampering the way to peace, the Philippine government's commitment has remained strong in upholding the primacy of the peace process, particularly in Mindanao. "As a long-term strategy to sustain the gains of the peace process, our government has embarked on various programs and initiatives involving the participation of civil society groups, including the school and media," Dureza had said. But Musa accused the government of deliberately delaying the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain. He said both parties practically approved the MOA after the Malaysian facilitator sought and succeeded to get their consensus to remaining points of contention last Feb. 19 to 22. "The peace talks could have resumed immediately after the Holy week but the government introduced another delaying tactic by creating a legal team to study the draft document on ancestral domain," he added. - GMANews.TV