NATIONAL Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon is in favor of keeping martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2017 even after the defeat of the terrorist Maute group in Marawi City. “Of course, the dream is to resolve all [of]these threats, so we can shepherd the peace process with the MILF, MNLF and even the NDF, provided that they agree to [the]terms of a respectable peace process,” Esperon added. MILF is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, while MNLF is the Moro National Liberation Front. Both the MILF and MNLF inked peace agreements with the government in 2014 and 1996, respectively. The implementation of the MILF peace agreement has yet to be fully realized.

Source: Manila Times October 25, 2017 05:15 UTC