IMAGE OF THE DAY

Vice Admiral Datu Mat-Rabi Bin Abu Samah, chief of staff of the Malaysian Armed Forces, salutes the Filipino troops during an arrival honor ceremony at the Southern Command headquarters. The visiting Malaysian military official is escorted by Brig. Gen. Francisco Callelero, Southcom deputy commander. (HADER GLANG)

Malaysian chief of staff visits Southcom
text HADER GLANG

A top Malaysian military official has been visiting the southern Philippines, where the International Monitoring Team (IMT) is supporting the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Malaysian chief of staff Vice Admiral Datu Mat Rabi Bin Abu Samah arrived in Zamboanga City Thursday morning and met with top military officials at the Southern Command headquarters led by Brig. Gen Francisco Callelero, Southcom deputy commander, in Camp Navarro, Upper Calarian.

“I’m here with my team to visit the IMT here. This is a routine visit for me to interact with members of the monitoring team station in Mindanao,” Samah told reporters in a press conference at the Southcom-based IMT’s office.

Asked what his assessment, Samah said that the peace process is moving in a very positive manner where both parties (GRP and MILF) seemed to be very eager to sign a peace agreement and that the ceasefire they have been monitoring is taking place very well.

“They are moving toward their objective. The parties told me they would be able to sign a final peace agreement before the end of the year,” he said. “There is no formal commitment yet, but I’m sure there are a lot of OIC member countries waiting for this final peace agreement.”

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the next round of talks is slated to take place next month in Malaysia and the Parties will discuss the implementing guidelines of the Ancestral Domain Aspect of the Tripoli Agreement of 2001.

Kabalu said after this, they will proceed to hammer out details of the negotiated political solution to the Bangsamoro Problem, which in 1997 was what the MILF had submitted as agenda of the peace talks.

The IMT, composed of soldiers from Malaysia, Indonesian, Brunei and Libya, is keeping an eye on the implementation of cessation of hostilities between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the MILF rebels. It has been in Mindanao for over a year now.

Earlier, Malaysian officials together with some members of the MILF visited a Madrazah (Islamic school) in barangay Tigtabon, Zamboanga City and Muslim-dominated villages in the city to see the real situation of the people in the area. (ZS)