Pinol steps on MILF territory to bring Duterte’s agri program
BANGSAMORO NEWS UPDATES • 17:13 PM Thu Mar 9, 2017
2,148
By:
Ferdinandh Cabrera
Agriculture Sec. Manny Pinol (back to camera) meets with MILF chief Al Haj Murad and MILF vice chair Ghadzali Jaafar. (Ferdinandh Cabrera)
CAMP
DARAPANAN, Maguindanao --– They used to belong to separate sides of the
government peace process in Mindanao in late 2000. They used to trade barbs on air, raising
different stance on the peace process and the development of Mindanao.
But former
North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Pinol, now President Duterte’s secretary of agriculture,
stepped into the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camp, not to continue
disagreements over peace issues but how to improve farmers’ lives, especially
among MILF families long neglected by the government.
It was Pinol
who spearheaded the petition before the Supreme Court that nullified the
infamous Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) in 2008 between
Manila and the MILF.
At one point,
Pinol was branded by the MILF as anti-Moro because of his stance.
But on
Wednesday, MILF chief Al Haj Murad and Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chair for
political affairs whom Pinol traded barbs with in the past.
Clearly, they
may have opposing opinion but Pinol and Jaafar used to work together in the 70s
at DXCM-AM Radio in Cotabato City.
Pinol’s visit
to push for President Duterte’s agriculture program erased that impression that
they were mortal enemies.
Jaafar and
Pinol hugged each other as if they did not exchange harsh words in the past.
It’s not easy
to move forward without facing our fast, Pinol said in Filipino as he spoke
before MILF leaders and former Moro combatants. The bottom line is we are here
to bring government agri program to your people, he added.
Murad said the
MILF leadership were surprised to learn that DA was to hold the graduation
rites of 362 farmer beneficiaries inside the MILF identified area.
At first there
was reluctance since many perceived Pinol to be anti-Muslim. But now, he is a friend of Muslims, Murad
said.
Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Philippine Rice Institute
(Philrice) have partnered with DA to help former combatants-turned farmers help
themselves by providing them the training on agriculture and providing them
agriculture machinery.
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