Muslim separatist rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) conduct combat exercise at a guerrilla camp in Shariff Kabunsuan province in southern Mindanao island. 5th August, 2008
MANILA: The Philippine Supreme Court, acting on a petition by Christian politicians, on Monday blocked the signing of a preliminary accord granting minority Muslims an expanded homeland as part of a deal to end decades of an Islamic insurgency.
The accord between the Philippine government and the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front identifying an area to be included in an enlarged autonomous Muslim region was supposed to be signed Tuesday in Malaysia, which has been brokering the negotiations.
Court spokesman Midas Marquez said the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order after Christian politicians from the southern province of North Cotabato objected to the deal because the government failed to publicly disclose its contents.
The justices, voting unanimously, ordered the provincial leadership and the government to explain their arguments Aug. 15 while the attorney general was told to submit a copy of the preliminary agreement by Friday.
The rebel vice chairman, Ghazali Jaafar, refused to comment on the court’s decision. Presidential spokesman Jesus Dureza said it was “a good opportunity for some issues to be thrashed out.”
“No derailment because it is just a postponement,” he said. “It will allow a dispassionate and objective discussion of the issues.”
The MILF, estimated to have 11,000 fighters, has been battling for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation’s volatile south for decades.
Last month, both sides agreed to expand an existing six-province Muslim autonomous region to include 712 villages, subject to the agreement of residents in a plebiscite within a year. But some Catholic politicians protested, saying they have not been consulted and that an enlarged Muslim region would lead to renewed sectarian violence.
Zamboanga city Mayor Celso Lobregat led about 3,000 people in Monday’s protest outside City Hall. Many shops in the predominantly Christian southern city, which has been a frequent target of bomb attacks blamed on Muslim militants, closed for the day. The protesters held placards reading, “Gloria, Don’t Sell Us,” appealing to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to stop the agreement from being signed. The presidential peace process adviser, former military chief Hermogenes Esperon, denied accusations that the government was giving away territory to Muslim rebels. “No sovereignty is given here. This is for the benefit of Mindanao and the country,” he said, adding it is “better to talk than fight.”
Zamboanga city Mayor Celso Lobregat led about 3,000 people in Monday’s protest outside City Hall. Many shops in the predominantly Christian southern city, which has been a frequent target of bomb attacks blamed on Muslim militants, closed for the day. The protesters held placards reading, “Gloria, Don’t Sell Us,” appealing to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to stop the agreement from being signed. The presidential peace process adviser, former military chief Hermogenes Esperon, denied accusations that the government was giving away territory to Muslim rebels. “No sovereignty is given here. This is for the benefit of Mindanao and the country,” he said, adding it is “better to talk than fight.”
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