Davao City – The prospects for the resumption of the stalled peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have raised expectations that over 100 Muslim peace advocates representing various Moro civil society organizations from across the country are convening a two-day National Peace Congress to advance the Bangsamoro people’s peace and development agenda in this city Saturday.

Organizers from the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations (CBCSO) chaired by Guiamel Alim have invited as observers members of the foreign community and international donor agencies involved in humanitarian work in the trouble region.

The planned peace forum comes in the wake of the breakthrough on the Mindanao peace process achieved in a “special meeting” between the GRP and MILF peace panels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last July 28.

GRP chief negotiator Ambassador Rafael Seguis and MILF head negotiator Mohagher Iqbal’s peace dialogue in Malaysia had brought the peace talks back on track after it collapsed in 2008 due to the aborted signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD) that sparked a renewed fighting between government troops and MILF rebels.

Over 600,000 people evacuated because of fierce fighting between military and Moro rebel forces.

Two other earlier clandestine meetings arranged by Malaysia’s chief government facilitator Dató Othman Abdul Razzak resulted to the two sides’ suspension of military offensive and activity (SOMO and SOMA).

Seguis, President Arroyo’s special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), and Iqbal, chair of MILF Information Committee, signed a Joint Statement that signaled, among others, the return of the peace negotiations.

In a statement, the BCSO said the Moro CSO representatives will be submitting to the two peace panels “a comprehensive development agenda of the Bangsamoro people” during the national peace congress.

Alim said peace advocates will come from the provinces of Basilan, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Palawan, and even from Metro Manila.

The BCSO chair said the proposed Bangsamoro development agenda to be submitted to GRP and MILF peace panels “consists of 13 themes, comprising issues and concerns that the Moro people want covered by the revived peace negotiations.”

These issues and concerns include women and children; social services and health; land tenure; environment; economic development; education; youth; peace and security; relationship with other people; human rights; culture and political system, Alim said.