‘Arms dealers sabotaging peace talks’

Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 20:53:00 02/22/2010



Filed Under: Firearms, Mindanao peace process, Conflicts (general)



GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Former Mayor Adelbert Antonino, a member of the government panel talking peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), believes “carpetbagger profiteers” are out to sabotage the ongoing peace process.

“There are those who sell arms and they make profits out of the war. They don’t like peace, they don’t want this peace process,” Antonino, who, last week resigned as government peace panel member, told the Inquirer.

But Antonino, who was representing the local government units and the business sector in the government peace panel, refused to name names. He said these peace saboteurs are coming from both sides of the fence.

“I prefer to call them carpetbagger profiteers. They are people who sell arms and make profits out of war,” Antonino bared.

Aside from the so-called carpetbaggers, Antonino identified internal problems as another major stumbling block in the peace process.

He said some members of the government panel’s secretariat do not want to lose their jobs.

“The existence of the panel and the secretariat is just temporary. Once a peace agreement is reached, there’s no more peace panel and the secretariat is abolished. Unfortunately, some members wanted the peace process to continue to keep their job,” he said.

Antonino said he had asked the peace panel to look into the internal problems bugging the secretariat but to his dismay, the panel did nothing about it.

“I feel that the panel chair did not need me anymore. If I’m no longer needed, there’s no reason for me to stay. I would just betray the trust and confidence of the sectors I am representing,” he stressed.

Antonino resigned as peace panel member last week.

He revealed that prior to his resignation, some people in the secretariat “wanted to do it their way.”

He claimed he was a team player and that he believed that decisions should be made by the panel, not just by a single person.

Despite some kinks, everything was going on smoothly until the first meeting of the peace panels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, late last year. Antonino claimed he failed to attend that meeting as he was hospitalized.

He said he had requested for a meeting with the secretariat to keep himself abreast of any development. His request was never granted.

Then he learned that somebody from the secretariat called up a meeting with local government officials in Zamboanga in December without informing him.

Antonino said he called up government peace panel chair Rafael Seguis, but he got the answer “I don’t know.”

Antonino said he was not blaming President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo or criticizing Seguis.

Antonio said he was still confident the government panel can work out a peace accord with the MILF despite the obstacles encountered along the way. Aquiles Z. Zonio, Inquirer Mindanao