MILF: No space for extremists in Bangsamoro

From the Manila Bulletin (Jun 11): MILF: No space for extremists in Bangsamoro

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) assured participants at a public forum here over the weekend that the proposed Bangsamoro government will have no room for extremists.

“The Bangsamoro authority and leaders will not allow anybody, anyone, or any groups to destroy peace within the Bangsamoro territory,” Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghazali Jaafar said, amid resounding applause among hundreds of mixed audience from Muslim, Christian, and Lumad sectors.

“The Bangsamoro government is a democratic government where the rights of the people are guaranteed and everybody can enjoy religious freedom,” he added.

Jaafar’s assurance followed a warning aired by Orlando Cardinal Quevedo a day earlier at an international interfaith dialogue in Cotabato City that extremism, if not addressed squarely, could “hijack” the intents and visions under the Bangsamoro entity.

Quevedo, the archbishop of Cotabato and the first cardinal appointed by the Vatican from Mindanao, bared his sad experiences with extremist elements during his stint in the Sulu archipelago.

The prelate, described by government and MILF authorities as “the Cardinal for Peace,” has been actively campaigning for the transformation of the Muslim Mindanao regional autonomy to people’s higher degree of self-determination under the Bangsamoro political entity.

http://www.mb.com.ph/milf-no-space-for-extremists-in-bangsamoro/