Former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo supported Tuesday the openness of President Aquino for Charter change (Cha-cha) so that the government can strike a peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

"This is a significant development on Dr. Gloria Arroyo's pursuit of Cha-cha, not only to facilitate peace and development in Mindanao but also to open up more economic opportunities for the entire country," said Mrs. Arroyo's spokeswoman Elena Bautista-Horn.

President Aquino's peace negotiator with the MILF, Marvic Leonen, said that Cha-cha could be pushed by the Aquino administration if it is necessary to accommodate MILF demands in a final peace agreement with the government.

Mrs. Arroyo, during her term as President, had signed a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MoA-AD) with the MILF which the Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional because the agreement needed changes in the Constitution before it could take effect.

The MoA-AD talked of creating a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) that shall have authority and jurisdiction over the ancestral domain that would be granted to the MILF.

Mrs. Arroyo said she filed a Cha-cha resolution in the House of Representatives so that peace could be achieved in Mindanao and businesses could thrive there.

"These are the reasons why one of her first bills is on Cha-cha and autonomy in specific areas of Mindanao. Dr. Arroyo is seeking long-term peace and development of the country that only a constitutional change can bring," Horn said.