Leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Davao Oriental warned of new hostilities in Mindanao if the Arroyo government does not sign a peace pact with their group before its term ends.

This developed after the MILF leaders made the call during consultations on the status of the peace process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the MILF in Mati, Davao Oriental recently.

“The Bangsamoro people and the constituents of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Davao Oriental called on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to forge a negotiated agreement with MILF, to leave a historic legacy of peace before her term ends next year or war will return to the troubled island of Mindanao,” the MILF said in a statement posted on its Web site.

“Participants supported the clamor to President Arroyo to finally forge a just and enduring comprehensive peace accord with the MILF, adding that the opportunity for the President to pass on a peace legacy to end the centuries-old conflict in Mindanao is right at the moment,” it added.

President’s Arroyo’s term ends on June 30 next year. However, the government and the MILF are still working to revive formal peace talks following attacks by rogue MILF units in Mindanao last year.

The attacks stemmed from the Supreme Court’s junking of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD), which it declared as “unconstitutional.”

Earlier, the MILF negotiating panel held consultations in the provinces of Zamboanga, Sulu and Basilan.

The MILF also said civilian participants believe that there are avenues towards achieving peace despite the difficulties that may derail the peace process.

Meanwhile, a teacher appealed for more development assistance for the Bangsamoro communities in Davao areas through concerned local government units and the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), the MILF statement also added.

He also stressed the need to intensify information, education and advocacy programs relative to the pros and cons of the peace process, saying that the people on the grassroots must have proper perspective on the real status of the peace process.