MNLF top, senior leaders pledge continued support to 1996 peace accord

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 2): MNLF top, senior leaders pledge continued support to 1996 peace accord

Top and senior leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have passed a resolution expressing their continued support of the 1996 peace agreement and the tripartite review process.

The peace agreement was signed on Sept. 2, 1996, which is exactly 17 years ago Monday.

The resolution was passed Sunday at the culmination of the two-day MNLF Senior Leaders Forum (SLF) held in this city.

They tackled during the forum important issues and concerns affecting the ongoing peace process between the national government and the MNLF.

Particularly, they discussed the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) and "its tripartite review whose objective is the attainment of the FPA's full implementation."

"Now therefore, be it resolved as it is hereby resolved, that we, the senior leaders and commanders of the MNLF who represent the broad masses of our people in the ground and acting on behalf of their general welfare and common good, hereby affirm our sustained support to the 1996 FPA and its tripartite review to achieve the full implementation of the agreement," they stated in the resolution.

"Resolved further, that the MNLF Senior Leaders Forum is ready to recommend among the leaders to join or constitute the membership of the MNLF peace panel for the resumption of the GRP-MNLF-Organization of Islamic Conference-Peace Committee for the Southern Philippines (OIC-PCSP) tripartite meeting as soon as possible in order to conclude the process to the satisfaction of the concerned parties. And that we welcome the proposal to achieve a more comprehensive and inclusive political solution to the Bangsamoro problem through convergence of the two peace processes involving the MNLF and the MILF. This proposal may be addressed at the Bangsamoro Coordinating Forum as created and established by the OIC in December 2011 with the full support of the MNLF and the MILF leaderships," they further stated in the resolution.

Meanwhile, the MNLF senior leaders have agreed to partner with the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to jointly implement the PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) projects in MNLF communities across Mindanao.

The PAMANA projects will be implemented by the line agencies of ARMM and the MNLF would be the one to identify what projects are needed in a particular MNLF community.

The national government has allocated a budget of P1.469 billion for the implementation of PAMANA projects this year.

PAMANA is the national government's program and framework for peace and development. It is implemented in areas affected by conflict and communities covered by existing peace agreements.

A copy of the resolution is furnished to President Benigno S. Aquino III, through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), OIC secretary-general and ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman.

The correctness of the resolution were certified by MNLF SLF acting secretaries Abebakrin Lukman and Abuamri Taddik and attested by Yusop Jikiri, the MNLF SLF presiding chairman.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=561310