Pace of peace process to pick up

From the Philippine Star (Oct 24): Noy: Pace of peace process to pick up

President Aquino sees “a slow start” for the peace process in Mindanao but expects the pace to accelerate as people start reaping the dividends of peace. In an interview with Radio New Zealand in this city last Monday, the President also indicated that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) could deal with its splinter group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), whose violent attacks could derail the peace process.... Asked when peace would come, Aquino replied, “It will be a slow start in a sense, but then it will have an accelerated pace once the people really get to see the dividends of peace.” He said MILF chairman Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim told the government that the group’s leadership must show the members “that this is worthwhile for them in the end.” Along this line, he said the government has asked the MILF for a list of its priority development programs so that its fighters can be turned into “productive” farmers, fisherfolk and micro-entrepreneurs....

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=862767&publicationSubCategoryId=63