SINGAPORE – The Arroyo government is still committed to forge a peace settlement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the group should take advantage of this before it is too late, a senior Palace official said Saturday.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the Muslim separatist group cannot be assured of the same willingness to sign a peace pact in the next administration.

Remonde made the remarks after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed the Arroyo government to swiftly work out peace deal with the MILF to end the decades-old separatist rebellion in Mindanao. Clinton, in her recent visit in Manila, said the negotiation environment may vary when the next president assumes office.

“It is better for the MILF to seal a peace deal with this administration because this administration has demonstrated very consistently its desire to achieve equitable, genuine, lasting peace in Mindanao, something that the MILF cannot be assured of in the next administration especially if you consider the rhetoric of presidential candidates,” Remonde told reporters at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) summit here.

With seven months in office, Remonde said the President remains committed to step up peace and development initiatives in troubled Mindanao to realize its full potential. Negotiations between the government and the MILF have stalled a few years ago after the Supreme Court nullified a proposed Muslim homeland due to violations in the Constitution.