Government and MILF negotiators have agreed to submit to a plebiscite any peace settlement they may sign on the establishment of a separate Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines, a rebel leader said yesterday. Eid Kabalu, spokesman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said the plebiscite is to ensure that the peace agreement is acceptable to majority, if not all, of the residents of provinces, cities and towns proposed to be covered. âWe will consolidate and review the agreements, and then ratify them. After that a peace accord will be signed and a plebiscite for the establishment of a separate Muslim homeland shall be held in the southern Philippines,â Kabalu said in an interview.Peace talks are expected to resume in Malaysia, which is brokering the political settlement of one of the worldâs longest-running Muslim insurgency problem. In September, the negotiators signed several agreements centered on ancestral domain â its concept, territories and resources â and how the MILF would govern these places. Ancestral domain refers to places that have been traditionally Bangsamoro (Filipino Muslim) territory. For the rebel group it is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before it can reach a political settlement.
Both sides have agreed on several crucial issues, including the coverage of a proposed ancestral domain in the five Muslim autonomous provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao. Also included are communities or towns the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces, which have large Muslim populations and indigenous tribes.
The MILF is the countryâs largest Muslim separatist rebel group, which had been fighting during the past three decades for an expanded Muslim autonomous region. âEverything in the peace agreement will be submitted to the people and there is nothing to hide because we really want peace to reign,â Kabalu said.