By ROGER M. BALANZA
Does the Arroyo administration know what delay means?
If it does not, then Jesus Dureza should go back to his Webster, according to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), in a statement posted in luwaran.com.
At the core of the MILF beef is the latest Malacanang statement released to the press by Secretary Jesus Dureza, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, taking exceptions to press allegations blaming government for the slow pace in the peace negotiations resulting to the withdrawal of the Malaysians from the ceasefire monitoring team.
“Does the government understand the meaning of the word “delay”?
Khaled Musa, deputy chairman of the MILF committee on information, said with such a statement the Philippine government is in bad need of a mouthpiece who is credible.
“Dureza is not the chief government peace negotiator and his statement does not carry much weight,” said Musa, who recalled Dureza’s bad record in peace negotiations in the past.
“When as government chief negotiator, his record was badly stained by the treacherous attack on Buliok complex on February 11, 2003, when Muslims all over the world were performing Eid’l Adha. He also messed up the talks when he annotated the minutes of the GRP-MILF peace panel meeting in March 2003. Now he is muddling the issues again,” said Musa.
“If more than three years since December 2004, after the ancestral domain was put on the agenda of the talks is not too long a time to finish a single issue, then what it is – is this not a delay?” Musa asked. He said the reason for the slow pace of the talks is that every time there was consensus by the Parties, sometimes already signed by them, as in the case of the consensus points on ancestral domain, the government introduces obstacle one after the other. Musa cited the most recent dilatory tactic of the government when it put up the legal team to study the legality or constitutionality of the draft memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain, which was already settled by the government and MILF peace negotiators, after the Malaysian chief facilitator made a shuttle between Manila and Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan on February 19-22, 2008. He also disclosed that, as per information from a source in Malacanang, one of the lawyers tasked to make a review of the draft document arrived only two days ago from a trip to Europe. Dureza said the government, while committed to push the peace process forward is not delaying but doing due diligence in completing the government’s final draft of the ancestral domain to ensure that it is implementable and defensible from attacks of unconstitutionality. While we understand the apparent impatience of some sectors, the government cannot treat these pending issues in cavalier manner or with undue haste. He also said that Sec. Rodolfo Garcia has been doing work on the gov’t draft without let-up.
According to Dureza: If there is any sector most interested to resolve problems, it is the government. Let no one, whether foreign or domestic elements, public posture as if they are more interested than us in a peaceful settlement with our rebels. We are doing our level best. Of course with utmost due diligence. We appreciate the help of the Malaysians in our peace process and we respect and accept their latest decision. We hope that they will continue to support our peace and development efforts.
Musa said Dureza knows that MILF has been supporting the peace process to the hilt. The question is, he said, who is responsible for the delay in the resolution of our quest for peace?
