THE secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Wednesday named a former president, two lawmakers and several former and incumbent officials in Mindanao among the
top 10 “spoilers” of the ongoing peace negotiations with the government, GMA 7 reported on Wednesday.
The MILF said that the motive of the 10 spoilers “is to undermine and destroy the peace process for their own selfish end.”
Those who are on the list are:
• former Gov. Emmanuel Piñol of North Cotabato;
•Mayor Celso Lobregat of Zamboanga City;
• former President Joseph Estrada;
• newspaper columnist Ramon Tulfo;
• Mayor Lawrence Cruz of Iligan City;
• Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad;
• Cotabato City Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo;
• columnist Ducky Paredes;
• Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay; and
• Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero
Khaled Musa, the deputy chairman of the MILF committee on information, said that Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel Roxas 2nd and former Rep. Teodoro Locsin 3rd of Makati City (Metro Manila) were dropped from the list of spoilers “for their silence nowadays.”
The MILF, reputedly the largest secessionist group in the country, said that the 10 spoilers were selected based on their actuations during debates on the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional in 2008.
“They believe the emerging peace threatens their power, world view and interests.
Sometimes, some even resort to violence to stop the process from succeeding. Hatred of Moros, religious bigotry or jealous of the MILF’s successes also factor-in in many of these personalities’ decision against the peace process,” the group said.
It added that the 10 individuals’ reactions toward the MILF’s proposal for the establishment of a Bangsamoro (Filipino Muslim) sub-state and the August 4 Tokyo meeting between President Benigno Aquino 3rd and MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ibrahim were also factored in.
The group however, said that Lagman and Escudero are not as hardened spoilers as the eight others “because their comments are more politically-motivated rather than their deep-seated biases or antagonism against the Moros of Mindanao.”
