Philippines Peace Settlements

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Philippines Peace Settlements

Unrest in the south of the Philippines has been a constant feature of the post-independence Philippines.

In 2001 President Arroyo moved to reopen peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a Muslim separatist group in the south, and with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the front organisation of the communist insurgents who have been fighting the government for 35 years.

With the assistance of the Malaysian government, advancement on MILF issues has been made and a ceasefire was agreed in mid-2003 (although clashes with breakaway factions have continued to occur sporadically). The MILF's principal demand is that the government address the matter of ancestral domain. The government wants the MILF to cooperate in operations against the international terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Although both sides purportedly want a peace settlement, there are forces on the ground in Mindanao that are hostile to a peace settlement on the terms currently on the table, and are therefore seeking to sabotage the process. Abu Sayyaf will not settle for anything less than an independent Muslim entity. Meanwhile sections of the military and some Christian community groups are opposed to any compromise.

While a peace agreement on the contentious issue of ancestral domain had looked likely, on August 4 2008, just before the agreement was due to be signed, the Supreme Court imposed a temporary restraining order on the agreement. The government has since disbanded its negotiating team, and is now refusing to engage with the MILF until it has disarmed. Government forces have been caught up in fierce fighting with the MILF rebels since the Supreme Court decision, and the outlook is now highly uncertain. However, the fact that both the government and the MILF want a peace agreement suggests that a peace deal will be brokered at some point, but concessions will be needed if there is to be a return to the negotiating table.  In the meantime, the security situation in affected parts of Mindanao is likely to remain unstable.  This source of instability is a major drain on the Philippines' economic resources.