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Philippine President Renews Vow to Keep Country Together
Philippine President Joseph Estrada reiterated Saturday that he will not allow armed groups to threaten the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"As Commander in Chief of our armed forces, it is my sworn duty to see to it that the independence of our nation is not impaired nor any portion of its territory dismembered," Estrada said in the southern city of Davao, according to a press release from the presidential palace.
The president also said he remains committed to achieving a lasting and just peace for Mindanao not only for the present generation of Filipinos but also for future generations.
The Philippine government agreed on Friday to extend a June 30 deadline by 28 days for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to forge a peace deal with the government, as the deadline set by Estrada passed unobserved.
But the government stressed that it would not declare a ceasefire with the MILF until the rebels agree to sign an interim agreement which requires them to abandon their secessionist bid and terrorist activities.
The MILF has been fighting for the establishment of an independent Islamic state in Mindanao in the southern Philippines. The rebel group has also been blamed by the government for a series of bombings in the capital and other parts of the country in the past several months.
Estrada, who went to Davao for a working visit, urged the people not to lose hope and called on them to work harder to make sure progress and peace are achieved.
"The conflict is not fully over, but we are already starting rehabilitation work as part of efforts to provide peace and quiet to our Mindanao residents," he said.
The president will convene on Sunday the first meeting of the Mindanao Coordinating Council, a high-level government body he has formed to bring focus to his administration's efforts to rehabilitate and develop Mindanao, Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora said Saturday on TV.
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