MALAYSIA assured the Philippines on Thursday it will continue brokering the peace negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite its coming pullout as member of the International Monitoring Team (IMT).

The assurance was made by the visiting Malaysian Armed Forces chief, Gen. Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Bin Hj Zainal, saying that Kuala Lumpur will not back out of its mission as the “third party facilitator” in the peace talks in a unified effort to bring permanent peace in troubled Mindanao.

“Philippines is a good friend and we will not abandon a good friend,” Aziz told defense reporters, following his visit to Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, where he discussed wide-ranging issues with his counterpart, the Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., and government chief negotiator with the MILF Rodolfo Garcia.

“We are not abandoning the peace process in the South,” Aziz added. He will fly to Davao, on Monday and Cotabato, on Tuesday to check on the situation there.

The peace talks with the MILF have been stalled following the failure of both the government and the separatist group to come into terms over the issue of ancestral domain.

Aziz hinted that Malaysia may still continue to act as a member of the IMT in Mindanao, despite its pullout in September.

This is because the country is already discussing with the Philippines a reformatted role.

Malaysia, other than brokering the peace talks, sits as an international monitor against hostilities in the region, along with Japan, Libya and Brunei.

Aziz said the reformatted role could either decrease or even increase the number of Malaysian troops acting as cease-fire monitors.

He said the presence of an international monitoring team in the South has been effective in preventing the breakout of hostilities between the government and MILF forces.

Esperon said the presence of international monitors in Mindanao, has decreased the number of skirmishes between the two forces, which, for this year, saw only one so far.

He said firefights between the MILF and soldiers reached more than 70 yearly before the arrival of the international monitors in 1999. He said for the past four years, this has been limited to 15.

Garcia said that while Malaysia may be pulling out as a member of the monitoring team, what is important is that it will stay as sponsor of the peace talks.

He also said that while the withdrawal, although “sizeable” will not affect the situation on the ground owing to the presence of monitors from other countries.

Rallies peaceful, but obstruct traffic

THE simultaneous and successive rallies staged by workers in key cities around the country were orderly and peaceful except for traffic snarls that have been created, especially in some parts of Metro Manila.

TO the rice, oil and other shortages lately, add the shortage of seats in all airlines flying to the Middle East that results in days of delays for at least a thousand Filipinos going to work for the first time or returning to their jobs in that region.

THERE will be changes in the nursing curriculum next school year.

This was announced by Chairman Romulo Neri of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) on Wednesday to ensure that instruction is on a par with international standards and ensure a better passing rate for Filipino nursing graduates in licensure examinations here and abroad.

THE leadership of the House of Representatives is ready to sit down with senators to discuss their proposal for a constitutional change to make way for a federal system of government, Speaker Prospero Nograles said on Thursday.

SORSOGON CITY—A ranking communist rebel commander operating in Sorsogon province who was arrested by government forces three weeks ago was relased on Thursday after posting a P700,000 bail.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—One of the most wanted Abu Sayyaf leaders and his son were wounded in the “surgical strike” launched by the military on Wednesday in the hinterlands of Sulu.

MALAYSIA assured the Philippines on Thursday it will continue brokering the peace negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite its coming pullout as member of the International Monitoring Team (IMT).