MILF reminded vs setting up political office in Zamboanga after failed try

From GMA News (Jan 21): MILF reminded vs setting up political office in Zamboanga after failed try

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front was warned Monday against setting up a political office in Zamboanga City, at least until it finally forges a peace agreement with the government.

In posts on its Twitter account, the city government said the reminder stemmed from the MILF's attempt to set up a political office in one of its barangays.

"Pending comprehensive peace agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF, any movement on the ground let alone in Zamboanga City by any MILF group is illegal," the city government said.

Also, the city government noted even the International Monitoring Team had said "an MILF political office in Barangay Cawit is illegal."

It said IMT leader Malaysian Col. Zolkipli Hashim had issued a "stern warning" to the MILF group that wanted to form a Bangasamoro Political Office in Cawit.

"Col. Hashim made the statement during a dialogue in Cawit between the MILF group headed by the a certain Jusali Musali, and City officials," it said.

The city government said Musali’s group allegedly built a structure in Cawit for the so-called MILF Bangsamoro Political Office.

But the barangay chairman protested and brought the issue before the IMT, claiming Musali's group did not coordinate with his office.

Meanwhile, the city government quoted Maj. Abdurasad Sirai, head of the government peace panel's Mindanao secretariat, as saying Zamboanga City "is not part of the Bangsamoro and it is non-negotiable.”

For her part, Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco reiterated the city has been against inclusion in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the proposed Bangsamoro entity that would replace the ARMM.

The mayor also denied she had been consulted on the matter by the MILF group.

The government and the MILF have so far signed two annexes in the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, one on wealth sharing (signed July 2013) and one on transitional arrangements and modalities (signed February 2013). 

The last two unsigned annexes in the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro are the ones on power-sharing and normalization.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/344769/news/regions/milf-reminded-vs-setting-up-political-office-in-zamboanga-after-failed-try