Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos
Deles on Tuesday clarified the Philippine government’s clear, existing policy
that peace negotiations will only be done with legitimate revolutionaries and
not with terrorist groups or their associates.
Deles made the statement during the second day of the Senate
hearing on the unfortunate incident in Mamasapano, Maguindanao which resulted
to the deaths of Philippine National Police - Special Action Force troopers,
armed elements and civilians. During the said hearing, Senator Alan Peter
Cayetano criticized the government for engaging in peace talks with the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which he claimed to have ties with
international terrorist organizations.
“The policy decision of government to negotiate with the
MILF since 2003 was always accompanied by dependable, rigorous Philippine
intelligence,” Deles said.
The peace adviser clarified that the peace process is part
of the government's national security policy. The decision on whether or not to
pursue peace talks with the MILF or any other non-state actor is largely
determined by the continuing assessment and recommendation of the Cabinet
Security Cluster, in which the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace
Process, like the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of
National Defense or Department of Justice, is a member, in line with our
National Security Policy.
According to Deles, before "peace talks [with the MILF]
resumed in 2003, this was a very explicit demand --the [MILF's] disavowal of
terrorism" adding that this "was monitored by the Philippine
government, by our intelligence as well as [the] international community."
During the hearing, Cayetano made a presentation and accused
the MILF of coddling some terrorist personalities.
According to Deles, since 2003, the MILF has been closely
monitored by the government’s intelligence forces and “there is no evidence of
institutional links between MILF and terrorist groups.”
With regard to Cayetano's allegation that the MILF coddled
terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan, Deles cautioned against jumping to
conclusions while investigations are still on-going.
“With regard to the actual situation between where Marwan
was found and the MILF, I think that is subject for investigation,” she said.
Meanwhile, Deles assured the Senate that the government will
not engage nor will it continue a peace process with a group that has terrorist
links.
“Certainly this will not be allowed," Deles said,
adding that "every time terrorist acts may have been seen as possibly
being associated with them [MILF], certainly that has always been raised."
At the same time, the peace adviser emphasized that "the continuation of
peace talks with the MILF has always been fully coordinated with our
intelligence units."
Sincerity to the peace process
Deles likewise noted the sincerity that is continuously
being demonstrated by the MILF to the peace process.
"The reality is also is that we have come to this point
of a comprehensive agreement where the MILF agreed to go through a legal,
legislative process fully understanding what that means," she said.
“And I think you will see the statements that have been made
by the MILF of [their] full respect on the [power of] Congress in this
legislative prerogative," Deles added, stressing the on-going
transformation of the armed group into productive, civilian lives.
"There would be a transformation and all of those
actions are happening now. And that includes the decommissioning being put into
place where there are targeted actions that you would see within the next
month, as well as the preparation of the MILF to fully transform which will
include the building of a political party,” the peace adviser expressed.
At the same time, Deles said that the MILF ceasefire
mechanism has been instrumental in the conduct of law enforcement operations .
She urged the senators to verify with the Coordinating Committee on the
Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) on
cases where the MILF helped in the ceasefire and/or interdiction of criminal
groups in areas with MILF presence.
The CCCH and AHJAG are mechanisms established due to the
ceasefire accord between the government and MILF and vital to its
implementation.
Deles expressed hope that the trust and confidence between
the government and MILF will not be diminished due to the Mamasapano incident.
“The ceasefire has been holding. No single skirmish in the
last three years because of the ceasefire mechanisms. Compare that with what
has happened in the past, even in the attacks that were made in 2000 where
bodies could not be extricated, the whole story, the documentation could not be
done for days. And now, in 24 hours, you have the statistics on the ground and
you have the MILF now saying yes they are coming [to the Senate hearing],” she
said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=0&sid=&nid=0&rid=734451
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