DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The political party of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) endorses a Moro peace advocate and five other senatorial candidates for the coming May 12 elections.
The MNLF Bangsamoro Party (Bapa), led by BARMM Labor Minister Muslimin Sema, announced a week ago that they will endorse Amirah Ali Lidasan from the Makabayan Coalition, former senators Bam Aquino and Gregorio Honasan, former National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, former Marine colonel Ariel Querubin and former presidential adviser Raul Lambino.
Bapa is said to have more than 500,000 members in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) that encompasses Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato.
Sema, who is chairman of the MNLF central committee said in a media interview that they are endorsing the six senatorial candidates coming from different political parties as they have committed to complement the government’s peace process in Mindanao.
The MNLF led an armed secessionist movement in the 1970s that ended with a peace accord signed with the Ramos administration in 1996 that formalized the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Two decades later, the ARMM was replaced with the expanded BARMM as part of the peace agreement between the Aquino administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Both MNLF and MILF are working towards resolving differences in these peace accords.
Lidasan, an Iranon from Maguindanao, is identified by Sema as having come from a noble clan in Central Mindanao. She is spokesperson for the Moro Christian Peoples Alliance (MCPA) and Sandugo Movement of Moro and Indigenous Peoples for Self Determination (Sandugo).
As spokesperson, Lidasan advocated for peace and justice for the Moro and Lumad in Mindanao. She stood against President Estrada’s all-out war in Central Mindanao in 2000. In that time, she personally helped her grandmother and family evacuate from their ancestral land in Maguindanao.
Querubin, who once led his forces in combat during the 2000 all-out war in Lanao del Norte, is now offering gestures of dialogues to address peace issues.
Bam Aquino, cousin of the late President Noynoy Aquino who led the peace pact with the MILF, is seeking a comeback to the Senate. As the main author of the Free College Education Act, Aquino commits to expand access to education to Mindanao regions.
Meanwhile, the MILF has also announced its first senatorial endorsement for Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangiilnan. The former senator visited Camp Darapanan on May 2 and was endorsed by the MILF party United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), who acknowledged his contributions to the crafting of the peace agreement during the Aquino administration.
Pangilinan, an advocate for agriculture, committed to support programs for food security in BARMM. (davaotoday.com)
Elections, mnlf
