Resume talks soonest, Davao-based groups urge gov’t, MILF

MANILA, Philippines — Mindanao-based Muslim peace groups on Thursday appealed anew to the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to resume peace talks as soon as possible. A report posted on the website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the groups are under the "Sindaw ko Kalilintad" and are based in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat. "We believe that a hundred times of peace talks are better than a day of battle. We call on the newly composed Government Republic of the Philippines (GRP) peace panel to build on the gains of the peace process and pursue in-depth analysis and study of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD)," the Muslim groups said in a position paper, excerpts of which were posted on www.cbcpnews.com. Also, they called on the MILF to be "open" to a more thorough and inclusive discourse on the issues surrounding the MoA-AD mess. Peace talks between the two sides were stalled after the Supreme Court junked as unconstitutional the MOA-AD. "We do not want another all-out war to happen. We seek to sustain the peaceful initiatives that we have collectively woven together," the groups said. They said a cycle of war and continuous armed conflict threatens to rip apart their families and communities. Also, the groups condemned the continuous violations of human rights experienced by Muslim and Christians alike in Mindanao. "We condemn the massive displacement, innocent killings of people caught in the cross fire, burning of houses and the irreparable damage wrought upon victims who are crying for peace," they said. They also expressed alarm over the growing incidences of kidnappings and harassment of those who sacrifice their lives as they continue to work for humanitarian protection and we urge the authorities to immediately get to the root and act on this problem. - GMANews.TV