The Philippine Online Chronicles

The appointment of University of the Philippine College of Law dean Marvic Leonen as head of the government’s peace panel in the talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been welcomed by the separatist group, as well as members of Mindanao-based Catholic churches.

"Personally, I think it's a welcome development that he's appointed as chairman of the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) peace panel," said Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF’s information chief.

Iqbal pointed out that Leonen is knowledgeable about indigenous peoples' rights and ancestral domain, which are significant areas of discussion during the peace talks.

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma agreed that Leonen was a “good choice.”

“As law school dean, he should be sharp on legalities and not fall into the same mistakes that happened with the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD)," he said.

The MOA-AD caused a fresh round of conflict between the government and the MILF after the deal was junked by the Supreme Court in 2008 for supposedly being against the constitution.

Redemptorist Brother Karl Gaspar, also a mainstay in Mindanao parishes, added that “[Leonen] would be very familiar with the situation with more than 20 years working with IPs (indigenous people) all over the country.”

Iqbal has said that the MILF would re-form their own peace panel after the Aquino administration has completed its five-member peace panel.

"It takes two to tango. The MILF really want the peace process to be finished. Hopefully the MILF and the GRP will move forward. There are already too many problems in Mindanao, this is just to settle it once and for all.”

President Noynoy Aquino has said that the new peace panel to be led by Leonen will “review the past agreements and recommend how we can move forward cognizant of the limitations that both parties have to deal with,” as well as learning from the “mistakes” of former administrations.

“We will be in dialogue with MILF to figure out the kind of governance they see, the kind of comprehensive peace agreement they want to see," said Leonen during a press conference.

"If they want us to recognize and confirm and implement in good faith what the past negotiating panels had agreed to, then we expect the same attitude on their part," he added.