Palace: Jaafar was a warrior of peace

Malacañang on Wednesday expressed its condolences to the family and friends of the late Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice chairman and Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) member Ghazali Jaafar.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo called Jaafar a “warrior of peace” who “has fought many battles” for his cause.

“May Allah grant him a place in Jannah (Paradise),” Panelo said.

Jaafar was a “great Moro leader” who showed everyone his determination in leading the Moro people through the passage and eventual ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), according to Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Carlito Galvez Jr.

“We will never forget that despite his health condition, Jaafar went the extra mile to join several campaign rallies to push for the realization of the Moro people’s aspiration for a genuine and meaningful autonomy,” Galvez said.

“Jaafar selflessly dedicated and devoted his life for others. Truly, he is a man of peace," he added.

Major General Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, on Wednesday also expressed condolences to the family of Jaafar on behalf of the division.

"Ang buong pwersa ng 6ID at JTF Central ay nakikiramay sa pamilya ng yumaong VChair ng MILF at Chairman ng BTA. He is a big loss to the MILF. The people of the Bangsamoro will never forget him because of his peace efforts. He left a legacy the everybody remembers," Sobejana said.

Jaafar passed away in a hospital in Davao City early Wednesday due to kidney failure. He was 75 years old.

The late MILF leader served as chairperson of the MILF peace negotiating panel from 1996 to 1997.

He was also the first vice chairman of the MILF Central Committee and vice chairperson for political affairs of the rebel group that once waged a bloody separatist insurgency in Mindanao.

President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Jaafar as chairperson of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, which helped Congress in drafting the BOL, in January 2017 and as a member of the BTA, the interim governing body of the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in February this year.

Despite his frail health, Jaafar attended the oath-taking ceremony of BTA members in Malacañang on February 22. —KG, GMA News