Bishop welcomes choice of Leonen as chief negotiator with MILF

A Mindanao-based Catholic bishop welcomed Thursday night President Benigno Aquino III's appointment of University of the Philippines Law dean Marvic Leonen as the new chief negotiator with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma said Leonen is a “good choice" because he is “familiar" with issues concerning indigenous people and the environment.

“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)," Ledesma said in an article posted on the Union of Catholic Asian News website Thursday night.

The MOA-AD triggered a fresh round of fighting between government forces and the MILF fighters after the Supreme Court junked it.

Clashes resulting from the failed MOA-AD caused deaths and massive displacement of villagers in some parts of Mindanao.

While Ledesma admitted he was not sure how the MILF will accept Leonen, he said he believes “all in all" Leonen will lead the panel well.

For his part, Redemptorist Brother Karl Gaspar, who has worked for decades in Mindanao parishes, lauded the selection of Leonen.

Gaspar said he knew Leonen since his days as chairman of the ecological NGO, Legal Rights and Natural Resource Center-Kasama ng Kalikasan.

“He would have a lot of ground experience across the country," Gaspar said, noting that NGO partnered with indigenous communities and peace groups.

Even if Leonen is not from Mindanao in the southern Philippines, “he would be very familiar with the situation with more than 20 years working with IPs (indigenous people) all over the country," Gaspar added.

Gaspar said Leonen’s “humble, soft-spoken and nice personality" is “perfect" for a negotiator.

Source: GmaNews