BAGUIO CITY – The leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) already approved in principle its earlier proposal to the Regional Council of Elders for Indigenous Peoples Education (RC-IPED)for the signing of a peace agreement between the two groups to foster the camaraderie and brotherhood among the Moros and the Cordillerans and to serve as part of the healing process which was created by the brutal killing of 44 Special Action force members, which included 14 Cordillerans, 17 MILF fighters and 5 civilians during the bloody January 25, 2016 Mamasapano encounter.
MILF Peace Panel Chairman Mohagher Iqbal said it was the group’s ranking military commanders who made the offer for a peace pact between the MILF and the Cordillera Council of Elders when they visited Mamasapano, Maguindanao, the place of the encounter, to perform an indigenous ritual called ‘aray-at’ or karay-at,’ a ritual to call for the souls of the departed who succumbed to an accident outside their residence.
“We are peace-loving people. We want peace. We want our brothers in the Cordillera to understand that what happened in Mamasapano was an unfortunate encounter because of the failure of those concerned to adhere to the existing ceasefire mechanisms that were put in place,” Iqbal stressed.
He said the MILF and the RC-IPED in the Cordillera must already select their representatives who will immediately sit down together and discuss the mechanisms on how to undertake the signing of the peace agreement.
According to him, the MILF wants to reach out to the Cordillera RC-IPED for the realization of the proposed peace agreement between the two groups that will lead to the enhancement of their harmonious relationships for the betterment of the present and future generations of Filipinos.
Iqbal said the Moro provinces in Mindanao and the old Mountain Province in Luzon enjoy similarities because they were not colonized by the Spaniards during the over 400 years stay of the Spanish regime in the country because they had difficulty thwarting the resistance from the Moros and the Igorots who fought hard to protect their territories from colonization.
Engr. Andres Ngao-I, Cordillera RC-IPED chairman, welcomed the recent pronouncement of Chairman Iqbal on the selection of representatives of the two groups who will discuss the details on how to undertake the details of the signing of the peace agreement.
“We will be discussing with the members of the council who will represent us in the upcoming discussions with our MILF counterparts on the finalization of the details of the proposed peace agreement. We have to seriously discuss this matter because we believe it will be part of the healing process for our Moro and Cordilleran brothers and sisters,” Ngao-I stated.
Further, he noted that the eventual signing of the peace agreement between the MILF and the Cordillerans will definitely pave the way for a broader exchange of ideas and knowledge on the rich culture and traditions between the two tribes through the enhanced indigenous peoples education so that people will have a greater understanding of their behaviour among other historical and cultural activities.
By Dexter A. See