The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have forged an agreement to mutually cooperate in addressing local peace and security issues in Southern Philippines.
Lawyer Anwar Malang, ARMM chief of staff and currently Interior and Local Governments Secretary, met with Lawyer Randolp Parcasio, legal adviser of Nur Misuari, chair of a faction of the MNLF, in a Makati hotel last Friday.
The MNLF move came as a total turn around from Misuari's earlier provocative statements undermining the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro signed by the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
ARMM is composed of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi areas covered by the September 2, 1996 GOH-MNLF peace agreement.
Parcasio and Malang signed the ARMM-MNLF Peace and Development Compact.
Under the Compact, the group of Misuari is encouraged to cooperate with the ARMM leadership in addressing peace and order problems that have been causing poverty and underdevelopment in Muslim region.
Misuari had been publicly rejecting the Framework Agreement calling it a product of conspiracy between the Malaysian government, Aquino government and the MILF.
Under the Compact, both the MNLF and ARMM leadership will cooperate "to protect life, liberty and poverty of all the people of ARMM. Both the ARMM and the MNLF also vowed to jointly resolve family feud and clan wars in the autonomous region. (PNA)
