Muslim local execs support Duterte's peace efforts

COTABATO CITY --- With all six governors in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao supporting President Rodrigo Duterte’s inclusivity policy” in addressing the Moro problem, how can he ever fail?
In separate statements Wednesday, ARMM’s regional governor, Mujiv Hataman, and Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said they are both in favor of involving all sectors in activities meant to put closure to the Moro rebellion.Mangudadatu is the newly-elected president of the league of provincial governors in ARMM, which covers five provinces, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, which are both in mainland Mindanao, and the islands of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.So politically unique is ARMM that it has a regional executive department under an elected chief executive, Hataman, and a 24-member law-making body, touted as Little Congress” of the region, led by a speaker, Maguindanao First District Assemblyman Ronnie Sinsuat.

Duterte twice met with Hataman in the past two weeks, first at the sideline of a presidential sortie in Basilan and, subsequently, last Monday night in Malacanang.They talked about possible solutions to conflicts in the ARMM and the prospects of the Mindanao peace process during their meetings.

Mangudadatu, now in his third and last term as Maguindanao’s governor, also attended Monday night’s meeting between Duterte and elected officials from ARMM.Mangudadatu said the meeting was very cordial and that the president seemed so fatherly” to the local executives from the autonomous region. The warm reception he extended to us, Muslim politicians, could be part of his `inclusivity approach’ in handling the Mindanao Moro issue, oneness in peace agenda among rebels, the local executives and the local communities,” Mangudadatu said.ARMM officials present in the dialogue had quoted Duterte as telling Hataman he has faith in the peace and development initiatives of the regional governor.

Hataman said the involvement of all sectors in the Mindanao peace process will hasten the restoration of normalcy in conflict-stricken Moro communities. We support the president’s position on the issue. We also respect his desire for an `inclusive approach’ in putting an end to the Moro secessionist uprising,” Mangudadatu said.Hataman said he is ready to sit down with leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to discuss how all of them can pool together their efforts in pushing the Mindanao peace process forward.Mangudadatu had spent a big amount of money for cross-section dialogues among sectors in Maguindanao on the intricacies of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) during the time of President Benigno Aquino III.COTABATO CITY -The BBL, premised on the government’s peace compact with the MILF, the March 27, 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro, is the enabling measure for the replacement of ARMM with a more politically empowered Bangsamoro government.The proposed BBL, however, failed to get congressional imprimatur during the time of President Aquino. There is no reason for us not to continue what we have been doing now that we have a president from Mindanao who wants multi-sectoral involvement in putting an end to the Moro problem,” Mangudadatu said.

The governor of Basilan, Jim Hataman, and his counterpart in Lanao del Sur, Soraya Adiong, had also said they favor Duterte’s approach in dealing with secessionist groups in Mindanao.