It’s ‘misinterpretation,’not ‘misunderstanding’

This is in reference to the news story “Pyrrhic victory in Zambo, peace advocate laments” (News, 9/28/13) which was written by DJ Yap. The news story referred to statements made at a forum held in the University of the Philippines about the attack in Zamboanga City by MNLF elements associated with Nur Misuari.

I wish to clarify that at the forum, I repeatedly stressed that the violence perpetrated by the MNLF-Misuari group was unjustifiable in the context of the fact that there is a standing 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) that was signed 17 years ago. I also conveyed that those who caused the violence must ultimately be held accountable for their actions.

I wish to state categorically that I did not suggest that the attack was caused by a misunderstanding or miscommunication between the MNLF-Misuari group and the government of the Philippines (GPH). Rather, I said in the course of discussions at the forum that the MNLF perhaps had misunderstood—akin to a misinterpretation—the intention of the government to complete the Tripartite Review Process reflected in letters sent to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

I explained at that forum that the position of the government was not the termination of the 1996 FPA with the MNLF itself, but rather, to bring the Tripartite Implementation Review Process to a proper completion, considering that the process had already established consensus points and some joint mechanisms and actions, particularly between MNLF representatives and the regional government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In fact, the letters in question state categorically that “the GPH conveyed its assurances that in the case of the closure of the Tripartite Implementation Review Process, GPH will continue to engage relevant parties of the MNLF, through existing mechanism, to find a just and comprehensive political solution for the issue of the Southern Philippines.”

—JOSE LUIS MARTIN GASCON,

undersecretary, Office of Political Affairs,

Office of the Presidential Adviser

on the Peace Process