“No GRP-MILF peace pact sans Celso’s consent”—Gonzales
Acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales over the weekend assured Zamboangueños that no peace agreement will be entered into by the national government and the secessionist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) without passing through the consent of the Zamboangueños.
“The order of the president is very specific, to us, who more or less have something to do with the peace process, before we do anything, we must talk to Mayor Lobregat and I will follow,” the acting secretary said during the Climate Change Summit at the City Coliseum in Tetuan Friday.
Sec. Gonzales took the opportunity to devote the first part of his keynote speech to the issue of the GRP-MILF peace process stressing that he might not have the opportunity to address the most important sectors of Zamboanga.
“I am very impressed about the way your mayor is able to mobilize the Zamboangueños in matters that are important that is why before I proceed to my topic this afternoon, I just want to express a message to the mayor of Zamboanga,” the concurrent National Security Adviser said.
“Mayor, I cannot promise beyond the term of the president, but within this term I can assure you, no agreement {I am talking about the peace process}, no agreement will be signed without…we will not include anything there that will not pass through the consent of the Zamboangueños,” he continued.
Sec. Gonzales enplaned to Zamboanga Friday morning for a series of activities, one of which was to keynote the Summit on Climate Change, an activity initiated jointly by the city government and the Office of Civil Defense to discuss about the measures on how to cushion the effects of climate change.
As National Security Adviser and the acting Defense Secretary, Gonzales is involved in the ongoing peace negotiations between the government and the secessionist group MILF.
Mayor Lobregat has earlier revealed that the ongoing peace talks are shrouded with secrecy citing the way the negotiations including the consultations are being done.
Last week, the government peace panel headed by Ambassador Rafael Seguis failed to attend a hearing called by the House special committee on peace and reconciliation where a resolution, authored by Cong. Beng Climaco asking the government to report to Congress the full details of the talks, was discussed.
The panel said that Malacanang did not give the clearance for it to attend the hearing. (Sheila Covarrubias)