Peace talks should be coupled with dev’t efforts - Leonen

Manila, July 26 – Government panel chair Marvic Leonen underscored that while the Aquino administration is resolved in reaching a negotiated political settlement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and other rebel groups within its term, it is also bent on addressing the development needs of conflict areas.

“In the administration’s goal to reach a just, comprehensive, workable and negotiated political settlement, we also have to proceed with the development of the area. We cannot stand idly by when we think of basic services and economic development. The promise of the President is good governance and anything that will be committed, will be done. Anything that has been promised will be complied with,” he stated during a recent forum held at the Ambion Room of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law in Malcolm Hall, UP Diliman. Joining him was Dean Jukipli Wadi of the UP Institute of Islamic Studies.

Leonen, who gave a lecture on “Understanding the Context: Possibilities for Peace in Mindanao,” reiterated how conflict disrupts development - not only locally but also nationally. With underdevelopment comes a host of other problems including corruption, misallocation of resources and injustices.

Aside from emphasizing the need for basic services to be addressed immediately even while still working on the peace talks, Leonen highlighted several statistics on the high cost of war: “In 1971, more than 1,000 people were killed and from the period of 1970 to 1996, P73 billion were spent on combat expenses alone. During the all out war in 2000, the government spent P20 million a day, or a total of P1.337 billion during the entire period. It was during this time when 982,412 people were internally displaced.”

The chief negotiator likewise shared updates on the on-going peace talks between the government and the MILF. “We’ve had three meetings with the MILF. Two informal meetings - one in January, then another one in April. Then we had a formal exploratory meeting last February,” he said.

Leonen shared that there have been no skirmishes on the ground from January to date. “I get reports on a daily basis on the events that are happening in Mindanao and clearly, the ceasefire is holding.”

However, he said that having a ceasefire is not sufficient. “If there’s a ceasefire, it means the peace we are experiencing is only temporary. What is needed is a just, lasting and comprehensive peace,” he stated.

Leonen added that the government and the MILF are set to resume formal exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur next month. He said that the government continues to focus on reaching a win-win situation with the Moro group by implementing reforms on good governance and improving the national economy starting with Mindanao and most especially with the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The forum was organized by the UP Paralegal Volunteers Organization (UP PVO). #