ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) committees on ceasefire and cessation of hostilities dismissed circulating rumors that the peace talks has collapsed due to the perceived impasse on territory.

Both committee chairmen, Brigadier General Reynaldo Sealana for the government and Von Al Haq for the MILF, have assured that the negotiations are still ongoing. They said they are confident that a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Mindanao will be achieved soon.

The committees vowed to further strengthen collaboration with each other and all the stakeholders, particularly the local government units, in order to significantly complement the forging of a comprehensive solution to the Bangsamoro problem during the two-day meeting.

The two-day meeting, which is 41st regular meeting of the committees, started on Friday and ended Saturday. It was held in Zamboanga City with the International Monitoring Team (IMT) headed by Major General Datuk Mat Yasin of Malaysia and its member-contingents from Brunei, Libya, and Japan as witnesses.

Yasin cited the continuing high level of commitment, goodwill, spirit of harmony, and friendship of the joint committees in pursuing the ceasefire and the peace process.

Yasin appealed to all to make peace and prosperity not only a matter of discussion but also a normal part of life, particularly in Mindanao, to ensure and sustain national and regional instability.

Army chief Lieutenant General Alexander Yano, who was the guest speaker of the two-day meeting, gave credence to the crucial roles of the ceasefire committees and IMT in sustaining peace, which is vital to the success of the peace negotiations.

Yano gave assurance that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is fully committed to the national agenda of upholding the primacy of the peace process and nurturing the seeds of peace in resolving the decades-old conflict in Mindanao.

The Philippine Army chief emphasized that peace is synonymous with development and should be the concern of everybody.

The two committees gave assurance to sustain prompt coordination and actions to prevent provocative situations and unnecessary confrontations, especially between their forces, which can adversely affect the peace process.

The committees issued a joint statement saying they have agreed to conduct further dialogues and peace advocacy initiatives in promoting confidence building and goodwill for the peace process between and among the stakeholders, including the international community.

Both committees viewed with concern recent incidents that resulted in the arrest, death, and destruction of properties of their members and civilians.

They agreed to take immediate action on the matters by conducting joint fact-finding inquiries to come up with mutually acceptable courses of action through, among others, consultations and coordination with concerned authorities.

The committees also agreed to maximize coordination and information drives on the conduct of the RP-US Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) 2008 Exercises in line with the guidelines and principles of the RP-MILF peace process.

The two committees will elevate and refer to the RP-MILF peace panels the proposal to create Local Monitoring Teams (LMTs) for the provinces of Palawan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi which are now included in the expanded area of responsibility of the IMT.

The committees agreed to hold a special meeting with the IMT, RP-MILF Ad Joc Action Group (AHJAG), Bangsamoro Development Agency, and its Technical Working Group to draft the administrative and operational guidelines for the establishment of Areas of Temporary Stay (ATS), which shall be submitted to the RP-MILF peace negotiating panels for approval. (Sunnex) 

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