Philippines' Muslim rebels mull holding dialogue with critical Catholic bishops
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front ( MILF) said Sunday it was planning to hold a dialogue with three Catholic bishops who have been critical on the 5-million pesos ( 116,279 U.S. dollars) fund given by the Philippine government to the Muslim rebels' foundation.
Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, said the MILF peace panel led by Mohagher Iqbal was seriously considering to invite Bishops Leonardo Medroso of Tagbilaran, Ilagan Bishop Elenito Galido and Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Colin Bagaforo, after they separately expressed critical views on the donation to the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute.
"We will reach out to them first through a mutually acceptable go-in-between. We have very reliable line of communication with the Catholic Church," Mantawil said.
The government, through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, handed down in August to the MILF the fund to assist the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute.
But some sectors, including the prelates, criticized the government following the Oct. 18 encounter in Al Barka town, Basilan province between government troops and MILF militants, resulting to the death of 19 soldiers.
Critics have accused the MILF of using the fund to buy weapons against the government, but the MILF denied the allegation.
The MILF has been fighting government troops for decades to establish a self-rule Muslim sub-state in the south of the predominantly Catholic country. Peace talks between the government and the MILF stalled in August 2008 following the aborted signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.
A final peace deal with the government will touch the issues of autonomy and the civil settlement of the rebel group's 11,800- strong guerrilla fighters.
Editor: Deng Shasha
English.news.cn 2011-11-06 19:54:19 FeedbackPrintRSS
MANILA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua)
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