Peace Update: "Ceasefire Mechanism still in place to prevent violence between MILF & PHL gov't"

"Military spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Burgos said that despite the MILF's fears, a ceasefire mechanism was still in place that would prevent violence between the two sides. He also said upcoming informal talks between the MILF and the government in early-November would hopefully ease the tensions. "We will wait for the feedback from what happens in the peace talks in November," Burgos said. The 12,000-strong MILF are engaged in peace talks with the government and have a ceasefire in place. However the recent violent clashes have stoked popular anger against the rebel group, with growing calls for an "all-out war" against the rebels. Philippine President Benigno Aquino has said he remained committed to the peace process despite the recent violence."
AFP: Philippine Muslim rebels ready 'to fight' if attacked:
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Peace Update: Vietnam & PHL agree for a peaceful and multilateral approach to settle territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said Vietnam expressed support for the Philippine proposal for a zone of peace, freedom, friendship, and cooperation in the West Philippine Sea.

"I think what we committed to do was we embraced the approach of, one, is looking for a peaceful resolution; two, is we want to pursue a rules-based regime; third is we want to do this on a multilateral basis; and fourth is we want to observe the DOC [Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea] and we also are looking for incorporating the Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation (ZOPFFC) framework that the Philippines had introduced so that it can further strengthen the implementing guidelines of the DOC," said del Rosario.

Vietnam also clarified during the bilateral meeting that the recently signed agreement between China and Vietnam for bilateral negotiations on the South China Sea only concerns areas not contested by the Philippines."
Vietnam, PH agree on $3B trade by 2016 | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features: "
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Peace Update: “... launching attacks to avenge the death of soldiers could put the lives of innocent civilians in danger...war is not the answer"

Palace: No AFP demoralization - The Philippine Star » News » Headlines: "AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said that while they grieve for their comrades who died during the recent clashes, they cannot allow their emotions to overwhelm them.

“We know that people are commiserating with members of the AFP. Their emotions are high. On our part, we feel that way, we are also humans but the answer is not through offensive, that we have to use the barrel of the gun to solve this,” Burgos told dzBB.

“We have to think of this carefully and we have persons in authority who know this better,” he added.

Burgos said launching attacks to avenge the death of soldiers could put the lives of innocent civilians in danger.

“If you want retaliation, we can retaliate but let’s see the casualties not only on the part of the armed forces and the other side but also to the Filipino people. The civilians in the area, the people who will be displaced, we have to study that, we have to consider those factors,” he said, stressing that the military continues to support peaceful ways to resolve the conflict with the MILF."

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Peace Update:PHL has good advantage in agriculture, good opportunity to get partners in business & show what we have & also learn from others-Li Daqiu

A high-ranking Chinese official said yesterday the Philippines has a “very good advantage” in agriculture after a Philippine government official invited Chinese officers and scientists to come and visit the Philippines for cooperation in agricultural technology.

Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya met with Li Daqiu, vice chairman of the Guangxi Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

The 8th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) is being held in this city, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is co-sponsored by the ministries of commerce/trade and industry of China, the 10 ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The trade exposition is being held concurrently with the 8th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.

During the meeting, Li noted that both countries could further discuss cooperation agriculture and tourism."
Phl has good advantage in agriculture, says Chinese exec - The Philippine Star » News » Headlines: "
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Women & Children's Causes Update: Education for Lumad lead by Fr. Fausto Tentorio

In 2008, Fr. Fausto Tentorio took over as coordinator of the Tribal Filipino Program of the Archdiocese of Kidapawan from Fr. Peter Geremia, who was assigned as parish priest in Columbio, Sultan Kudarat. Tentorio also served as board member of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, a progressive congregation forming education support communities in remote areas not normally reached by government services.
“His support was focused on giving education and health services, especially for the Lumad and the deprived sectors,” Capuyan said. For example, she said, Tentorio helped set up daycare centers in remote areas in Arakan, in Kitaotao town in Bukidnon province, and in some parts of Compostela Valley.
Capuyan said these daycare centers used the indigenous people’s curriculum, inculcating the Lumad culture and tradition, and sometimes even using the Lumad language in the classroom. She said there were 47 such daycare centers in Arakan alone, and 23 in the hinterlands of Kitaotao and Compostela Valley, and even in Davao Oriental province."
Pope hails Fr. Pops: A brave, fervent believer | Inquirer Global Nation: "Pope Benedict XVI expressed his condolences on Wednesday for the killing of Fr. Fausto Tentorio in Arakan, North Cotabato province, and praised the Italian missionary for his bravery and good work.The message to Pinto will be in Thursday’s edition of the Vatican’s official daily, Osservatore Romano. Tentorio was “a good priest, a fervent believer who for many years served the people of the Philippines in a courageous and indefatigable way,” the Pope said in a message to Giuseppe Pinto, the Vatican’s apostolic nuncio in Manila.

Tentorio, 59, was shot inside his church compound in Arakan on Monday. He had served for the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) in Mindanao since 1978.
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Peace Update: President Benigno Aquino III said Thursday he would not resort to ordering an army offensive against Muslim guerrillas

"President Benigno Aquino III said Thursday he would not resort to ordering an army offensive against Muslim guerrillas who killed 19 army soldiers in the southern Philippines despite a clamor for tougher government action.

Tuesday’s intense fighting on southern Basilan island between army special forces and members of the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front killed 25 combatants, including six guerrillas. It was some of the deadliest fighting since 2008, when peace talks bogged down and ignited widespread clashes that killed hundreds and displaced 750,000 people."
Philippine leader says no offensive despite Muslim rebel killing of 19 soldiers; army grieves - The Washington Post:
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Peace Update: PHL gov't & MILF struggled to convince sceptics within their ranks on why they should engage in peace talks while clashes occur

Earlier reports from Basilan island said 20 people were killed when soldiers clashed with the MILF on Tuesday, with each side accusing the other of breaking a seven-year truce.

Now, the Philippine military has told Radio Australia's Asia Pacific program, that the military was pursuing a bandit group under a local commander, Long Malat, who was not linked to the MILF or the militant Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)

Western Mindanao Command spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, said ten soldiers were missing after the clash, and the military is pusuing the bandit group who are believed to have taken them hostage.

He insisted Tuesday's clash has not jeopardised the peace process.

"What we were operating against yesterday was a bandit group, not linked to the ASG and not linked to the MILF.

"But since the encounter took nine hours, we saw that some members of the ASG and some members of the MILF participated in the encounter. That is why I believe that the MILF also suffered some casualties." he said."
Australia Network News:Stories:Philippines peace process intact after armed clashes: "Asian Foundation's Steven Rodd told Connect Asia that peace talks were stalled in April but are likely to resume shortly.

But strains on both sides could increase if clashes between troops and rebels continue once new peace talks begin.

Both the government and the MILF have struggled to convince sceptics within their ranks on why they should engage in peace talks while clashes occur.

The Abu Sayyaf is a bandit group involved in terror and kidnapping activities in Basilan and another southern province - Sulu - while the MILF is involved in current peace talks with the government.
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Wellness in Arts & Environment: 13yr old Filipino artist Trisha Co Reyes won top prize in UN painting contest on environment

The awarding was held at the Tunza International Children and Youth Conference on the Environment in Bandung, Indonesia last month."

In a simple ceremony at the DENR Central Office in Quezon City, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje also handed Reyes a plaque of recognition for obtaining the top prize in the International Children’s Painting Competition on Environment organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also presented Reyes with a four-year college scholarship in any DENR-endorsed college or university, which include tuition and other school fees for the regular semesters and summer courses; monthly stipend of P3,000; book and school supplies allowance of P1,500 per semester; and P700 per summer course; and thesis or research allowance not exceeding P10,000.

DENR scholarship grant for children of non-DENR personnel is given to deserving high school students, as provided for under DENR Administrative Order 06.

Filipino painter wins top UN prize | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online: "
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DOST Update: Technology designed to enhance access to healthcare in remote villages as answer to problem of ‘doctorless’ municipalities

The National TeleHealth Initiative will use wireless technology to enhance access of rural patients to health experts in different cities. An “RxBox” will be stationed in health centres in local government units (LGU) where real-time remote monitoring of health signals can be done by experts stationed at the Emergency Case and Coordination Center.

Critical cases can be monitored in real time even in hospitals outside the reach of wired network structures. The RxBox can also be stationed in any rural health centre with an attending physician, as well as in selected Multipurpose Community Telecentre sites.

The technology also aims to empower the aid-dependent local communities to become self-reliant integrated societies responsible for their own health security."
The Philippines to implement nationwide TeleHealth initiative | Articles | FutureGov - Transforming Government | Education | Healthcare: "
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PHL Peace Update: "Peace entails winning the hearts and minds of the aggrieved and afflicted while retaining the allegiance of the rest.”

Philippine Development Plan for 2010-2016 now contains a chapter on peace, in which it is declared that “promotion of the peace process shall be the centerpiece of the internal security program.” The Plan notes that “peace is not just the absence of war or conflict,” but rather also “entails winning the hearts and minds of the aggrieved and afflicted while retaining the allegiance of the rest.”"
Going beyond ‘peace’ | Inquirer Opinion: "
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Wellness in Culture: "Juan' Time urged to observe in Iligan City PHL

Iligan City councilors here are supporting the resolution endorsed by fellow legislator Councilor Michelle Sweet urging all local and national offices to base their watches on Philippine Standard Time (PST). This is in consonance with the campaign of the Department of Science and Technology (Dost) called "Juan" Time that aims to synchronize the time in the country.

The move also hopes to erase the negative comment that Filipinos do not come on time in appointments/events, which is also known as Filipino Time.

Sweet observed that radio stations have different time and even different departments of City Hall and other establishments.

PST is the official time from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or Pagasa since 1978 in accordance with a law. (PR)"
Iligan City councilors back resolution urging offices, establishments to observe ‘Juan Time’ | Sun.Star: "
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PHL Workers Update: DoLE prepared Emergency Employment Program for Residents & Agriculture Workers hardest-hit by typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel.”

Region 1 office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has prepared a P4-million emergency employment program for residents of the most adversely-affected areas of typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel.” DoLE Region I Director Henry John Jalbuena said Tuesday that Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz approved the release of the fund as emergency assistance to agriculture workers in hardest-hit municipalities of the region.

He said the assistance will provide immediate relief to workers whose source of income has been impaired as a result of the successive typhoons which ravaged Northern Luzon this September and October. “While the agriculture industry is recovering from its losses, the DoLE will provide emergency employment to the affected workers in small infrastructure projects,” he added. The DoLE-Regional Office identified 17 cities and municipalities in Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan as recipients under the program."
DoLE prepares P4-M emergency employment | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online: "
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Wellness in Economics: DTI's "One Town, One Product (OTOP) program" created 444,709 jobs from 2005 to 2010

During the opening ceremony, Undersecretary Merly Cruz of the DTI-Regional Operations and Development Group said that the OTOP program has set its sights on generating two million jobs by 2016. She told local executives, entrepreneurs and expo participants that this and other OTOP goals can be achieved by enabling the growth of ‘progressive municipalities’ that have local economies generating their own products and services.

The program has so far created 444,709 jobs from 2005 to 2010 a substantial figure that the DTI wants to more than triple under the present administration. President Aquino has given his nod to continue the OTOP program as a flagship government undertaking to expand the trade of products highlighting the distinct culture and tradition of the different provinces, cities and municipalities."
DTI launches 2nd OTOP program | The Manila BulletinThe OTOP program has surpassed almost all its performance indicators from 2005 to 2010. The DTI reported at the expo that OTOP during this period generated investments worth 11.197 billion pesos (50 percent above the program's target); 16.558 billion pesos in domestic sales (over by 34 percent); exports of $677.2 million (over by 30 percent); and, assisted in the development of 45,820 micro, small and medium entrepreneurs or MSMEs (over by 71 percent). Newspaper Online: "
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Wellness in Education: PHL DepEd explores innovations to support schoolchildren of Indigenous Peoples (IPs)

"Sponsored by the Philippines’ Response to Indigenous Peoples’ and Muslim Education (PRIME) Program, the exhibit dubbed “Bunsód: Katutubong Dunong Pagtuturo Pagkatuto” is also in observance of the National Indigenous Peoples’ Month.
“As a response to our commitment to make education universal and inclusive, DepEd has been extending efforts to cross the boundaries on culture, tradition, and religion,” said Education Secretary Armin Luistro. Luistro added that the DepEd, with assistance from the Australian government, is making quality education more accessible to indigenous people through PRIME.
“While this PRIME project is a big boost to the Education for All goal of the department, it is, more importantly, the government’s way of responding to the needs of Indigenous Peoples and Muslim communities for relevant and responsive basic education, one that removes barriers to meaningful participation in society and empowers learners to exercise their rights and duties as Filipino citizens,” he expressed."
Month-long DepEd exhibit on | Tempo - News in a Flash:
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PHL Peace Update: P. Murphy shares "Winning formula to achieve peace: basis of trust, perseverance, intensity, parity of esteem & int'l dimensions..."

A British lawmaker visited two cities - Davao and Manila — last week to share the lessons he learned at the negotiating table in Northern Ireland to provide insights for the Mindanao peace talks. Called the "talks minister" because of negotiations he had done, Paul Murphy, who is also a former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (NI) and Wales, spent two years chairing some of the talks which led to the groundbreaking Belfast/Good Friday agreement in 1998, the framework for peace in Northern Ireland.

"Peace doesn't happen overnight, but if there's a will, then eventually it will," Murphy told members of the peace panels of the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and key government offices; the Senate and House of Representatives; Armed Forces of the Philippines; Philippine National Police; civil society groups and business leaders in Mindanao."
Peace talks expert shares insights | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online: "
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Peace Update: PHL pushes for inclusion of climate change in the agenda of the United Nations' Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

"Citing heavy losses to life and property due to recent typhoons, the Philippines pushed for the inclusion of climate change in the agenda of the United Nations' Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The Philippines, together with Bangladesh, urged the UNHRC to help address the effects of climate change on human rights.

In presenting the resolution, Ambassador and Permanent Representative Evan Garcia said, "Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing the world community, with direct and severe impacts on a wide range of human rights."

Dubbed "Human Rights and Climate Change," the joint resolution aired concerns that climate change threatens people around the world and affects their full enjoyment of human rights.

Garcia said, "The Philippines is extremely vulnerable to climate change, and our people experience the adverse effects of climate change on their human rights and livelihoods on a daily basis.""
PHL pushes for climate change on UN human rights agenda - Nation - GMA News Online - Latest Philippine News:
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"If you love whatever you’re doing and focus, you will really succeed

“When I was younger, I always heard people say, ‘be passionate about what you do,’” Mr. Paulino says. “Now, as an entrepreneur, I fully appreciate that attitude. If you love whatever you’re doing and focus, you will really succeed.”Hats off to Filipino craftsmanship | BusinessWorld Online Edition:

Reynaldo T. Paulino
Managing Director
Kraftika Filipina

The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2011 will be announced on October 12, 2011 in an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines has concluded its 2011 search for the country’s most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs. It is a program of the SGV Foundation, Inc. with the participation of co-presenters De La Salle University, Department of Trade and Industry, Development Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Philippine Stock Exchange and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. BusinessWorld is featuring each of this year’s finalists."

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ROTARY CLUB UPDATE “Mega Cebu” was described by businessman Roberto E. Aboitiz in a meeting of the Rotary Club of Cebu West

Master plan needed for ‘Mega Cebu’ | Inquirer News: "“Success is no accident. It’s a planned journey and the future does not belong to the small, unprepared, incoherent and divided cities,” said the president of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
The MCDCB is chaired by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
Aboitiz said that to achieve this goal, proper planning and decision making in the public sector side should go beyond city boundaries of the 13 citizes and towns from Carcar City in the south to Danao City in the north.
Aboitiz said seven businessmen sit in the MCDB : James Velasquez, country general manager of IBM Philippines; Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Samuel Chioson; Cebu Business Club president Gordon Alan Joseph; Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Eric Ng Mendoza; Cebu Leads Foundation president Bunny Pages; Felomino Lim of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and himself."

'via Blog this'The role of business is to contribute “capital, technology and enterprise,” while the government provides the “planning, enabling environment and resources.” Civil society, meanwhile, is the source of “aspirations, obligations, participation and citizenship.”

Aboitiz said a Land Use Master Plan, Transport Master Plan and other sector master plans are crucial elements.

He said MCDB and its committees and working groups would be insitutional anchors, while RAFI will facilite the whole process, provide research and act as knowledge repository, and handle program and organizational development.

Wellness in Environment: PHL government will finally start to put an end to the use of harmful substances that deplete the earth’s ozone layer by 2013

"Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje announced the other day that a freeze order on the importation of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) more than a year from now. He said the ban on ozone-depleting substances (ODS) is pursuant to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, to which the Philippines is a signatory. “Starting 2013, we are putting a cap on the importation of HCFC to 2,644 metric tons (MT) — the country’s average import of HCFC from 2009 to 2010,” Paje said. From the base level of 2,644 MT, the HCFC import will be gradually reduced by 10 percent, to 2,3796 MT by 2015; 35 percent to 1,718.6 MT by 2020; then 67.5 percent, to 859.3 MT in 2025. Paje said that from 2030 to 2039 the DENR would allow the import of the substance to only 66.1 MT annually, representing 2.5 percent of the base level, for the continued use of the servicing sector. HCFCs are a group of ODS controlled by the Montreal Protocol and comprise the last of eight ODS groups to be phased out pursuant to the Protocol."
Phl to start ODS phaseout - The Philippine Star » Business Features » Science and Technology:
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Rotary Update: Citywide Dog Vaccination Drive in QC w/ Rotary Clubs of Dist 3780 QC, Cubao Lions Club, Vet Found & Animal Welfare Coalition

Quezon City (QC) government said it will launch a citywide dog vaccination drive next week in a continuing effort to ensure a rabies-free community. Barangays registering high incidence of animal bites and human rabies deaths shall be given priority during the campaign, which will be conducted by the city government in partnership with the Rotary Clubs of Rotary International – District 3780 of Quezon City, Cubao Lions Club, Veterinary Foundation and the Animal Welfare Coalition.

City veterinarian Dr. Maria Ana Cabel said the urban poor communities in the second district posted high animal bite cases. Among the areas recording high animal bite cases are Barangays Gulod, Sta. Monica, Payatas, Kaligayahan, Batasan Hills, Nagkaisang Nayon and Culiat. The veterinary office of the city health department expects to vaccinate 70,000 dogs during the three-month- long mass vaccination drive to ensure public safety.
QC sets dog vaccination drive | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online: "
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Peace Update: PHL President Benigno Aquino called an emergency security meeting and ordered beefed up security in the mining sector

Communists in Philippines Raid Mining Facilities in South | Asia | English: "The president’s spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, says the attacks on the mines did not help matters. “It undermines the peace process. On our end, we have been doing confidence-building measures and on the side of the rebels, they’ve been doing confidence-erosion measures,” says Lacierda.

The leftist group’s head peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni called it a “positive action.” “Such action should give a signal to the government of Aquino that his mining policies which go for investments but do not regard properly the livelihood and the health and welfare of the indigenous communities and do not give proper attention to the protection of the environment that he should consider changing it,” he said. Jalandoni says the leftists’ proposal in peace negotiations includes a solution to their demand for more equitable economic benefits from the region’s natural resources.
"
Note: The president has been touting the mining potential in the southern island of Mindanao, which is currently worth about $3.8 billion. The government projects increased mining investment could reach $18 billion by 2016. But this could only happen if the region is stable, which is why the Aquino administration has been pushing peace negotiations with the leftists.
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"Bayanihan" Update: Philippine Dragon Boat Team ' paddle to save flood victims

'Dragon warriors' paddle to save flood victims | The Manila Bulletin Newspaper Online: "After watching TV footages of hapless people, even children and elderly, wading in neck-deep flood, members of the PDBT volunteered to paddle to rescue their countrymen from the devastating effects of the back-to-back typhoons – Pedring and Quiel – that battered the country in recent days.

Col. Arnulfo Burgos, Jr., chief of the Armed Forces Public Affairs Office, said the PDBT is assisting local governments, non-governmental groups, and those involved in relief and rescue efforts for two days, starting Sunday.

Army deputy spokesman and PDBT team manager, Maj. Harold Cabunoc, led the champion paddlers in the operations. Cabunoc said the team is using the actual dragon boat that they used in the recent world competition in Tampa, Florida, where they emerged as champion paddlers. Their victory was hailed by their countrymen, and the sports world."

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Peace Update: Public Eagerness for Peace Agreement, Strongest in Mindanao - Filipino people already tired of armed conflict

7 in 10 Pinoys believe peace accord possible - The Philippine Star » News » Headlines: "Combined with those holding a 2014-2016 timeframe, optimism was still highest in Mindanao at 55 percent followed by the Visayas, 51 percent; and 50 percent each in balance Luzon and Metro Manila, 50 percent.

On the other hand, 23 percent in Metro Manila, 21 percent in both balance Luzon and Mindanao, and 15 percent in the Visayas expect an agreement to happen in the next administration, or 2016-2022.

Those who think that a deal will never be reached comprised 30 percent in the Visayas, 24 percent in balance Luzon, 22 percent in Metro Manila and 20 percent in Mindanao.

Of the overall 71 percent “hopeful” of an agreement, 26 percent said they were “very hopeful” while 45 percent described their sentiment as “somewhat hopeful.”"

Note: Results of the SWS survey, which were published in BusinessWorld yesterday, showed that public eagerness for a peace agreement is strongest in Mindanao, with 24 percent expecting a deal to happen in 2011 to 2013, compared to 12 percent in Metro Manila, 10 percent in balance Luzon and six percent in the Visayas.
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Peace Update: PHL gov't offers MILF "enhanced autonomy" (economic dev't & gov't recognition of Bangsamoros' historical ties to the land)

Frustration grows for Philippine Muslim rebels: "There are roughly four million Muslims in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao, an area they see as their ancestral homeland dating back to Islamic sultanates established long before Spanish Christians arrived in the 1500s.

The region is among the most fertile and resource-rich in the Philippines, but it is also one of the country's poorest and undeveloped, a legacy of the conflict that began four decades ago.

Muslims, known as Bangsamoro, are now a minority in Mindanao but insist they should be allowed to largely govern the region themselves and control its potential riches.

The MILF, the largest Muslim rebel group with about 12,000 soldiers, has for the past decade sought to negotiate a settlement rather than achieve its aims through armed insurgency, which peaked in the 1970s when an all-out war raged."
Note: The Philippine government insists on using the constitutional framework to address the Bangsamoro problem. But the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is insisting that what they want is a substate
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