The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel will undertake series of peace advocacy after the holy month of Ramadan, in close coordination with the International Monitoring Team (IMT) and the government peace panel. This was disclosed to Luwaran today by Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel Secretariat, who said that there is really a need for a sustained peace advocacy especially in the provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, and Palawan, which were just included in the jurisdiction of the IMT.      

He said the aim of this advocacy is to inform the people about the progress of the peace talks as well as to solicit ideas from them on how to overcome the various obstacles facing the two Parties in the talks, without divulging those confidential aspects of the negotiation.

“We need to expand the base of support from the people,” he stressed, adding that keeping the people in the dark as to the real score surrounding the talks is more negative than a plus factor.

In June this year, the MILF, in coordination with the IMT and the government peace panel, held an advocacy program in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.
 
Representatives of the IMT, who spoke in Malay language, participated in the Tawi-Tawi. Most of the people of the province understand and can converse with Malay.
 
The IMT also conducted medical mission after the forum.
 
But the IMT skipped Sulu. Report said the IMT did not get the go-signal from Kuala Lumpur to join the Sulu forum.
 
More than 1,000 MILF forces, in half uniform, paraded in downtown Jolo, to the dismay of spectators thinking that the MILF has no solid presence in the island province. The gymnasium, where the forum was held, was jampacked with more than 4,000 people in attendance.
 
Bobby Alonto, a member of the MILF peace panel, Jun Mantawil, Al Camlian, head of the MILF Technical Committee, represented the MILF peace panel in the two forums.
 
Mantawil disclosed that the MILF leadership in Basilan has already requested the MILF peace panel to hold the first advocacy program there, followed by Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Palawan, in that order.

Ramadan will end either on October 13 or 14 depending on the sighting of the moon.

Source: Luwaran.com

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