A Mindanao-wide consultation commissioned by the Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC) came out with a number of recommendations, including the continuity of the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

BUC, lead by co-convenors Archbishop Fernando Capalla for the Catholic sector, Bishop Hilario Gomez for Protestants, and Aleem Hamid A. Barra for Muslims, commissioned a project in 2009 called Konsult Mindanano (KM) to hold community dialogues on peace.

Mindanews.com said in a report that KM, which involved representatives from 10 academic institutions in the troubled island presented the final results of its consultations, the “People’s Platform for Peace in Mindanao,” at the Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City on Saturday.

Fr. Albert Alejo, SJ, is KM project director.

KM engaged about 5,000 Mindanaoans from its 311 multi-sectoral and cross-regional focus group discussions (FGDs).

One of the many recommendations is to continue the peace talks with the MILF and the MNLF. Although the KM’s consultations were done last year, its final report came at time when the negotiation with the MILF seemed to hit another snag on the two parties’ draft proposal for Comprehensive Compact or CP –supposed to be the final agenda in the 13-year-old peace process.

The GRP and MILF peace panels headed, respectively, by Ambassador Rafael Seguis, and Mohagher Iqbal journeyed to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to meet on the CP. Their January 27 to 28 talks ended abruptly due to wide differences of their proposals.

Another meeting is planned for February 18 and 19.

In the case of the GRP-MNLF peace talks, the two parties already signed the final peace agreement (FPA) on September 2, 1996.
However, 13 years after the signing, dispute remained on the FPA’s implementation.

Thus, the Peace Committee for Southern Philippines (PCSP) of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has convened the Tripartite Meeting thrice in 2007, 2008, and 2009 involving GRP, MNLF, and the OIC to review the FPA’s implementation.