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'Olive branch to Misuari shows Duterte's grasp of Mindanao'

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Trishia Billones, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E8o3f0XYG4U?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" width="510"></iframe></figure>President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s treatment of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari shows his grasp of Mindanao political nuances, analysts said Friday.For University of Sto. Tomas professor Edmund Tayao, the Duterte&#x27;s treatment of Misuari is proof he knows how to deal with different rebel groups, being a Mindanaoan himself and a long-time local official.What was notable in the visit on Thursday, he said, is the president is emphasizing that Misuari and his group had been left out, and while there is no explanation why it was that way, it was a &quot;mistake&quot; to leave them out of the discussion on the whole dynamics of peace in the region.&quot;It&#x27;s as if the president is suggesting that there is a better way to go about it, a better direction to consider,&quot; he said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/03/16/watch-duterte-breaks-protocol-lets-misuari-use-presidential-podium">WATCH: Duterte breaks protocol, lets Misuari use presidential podium</a></li></ul>Institute For Political and Electoral Reform Executive Director Ramon Casiple, on the other hand, is not surprised that Malacañang has said the rebel leader will play a &quot;key role&quot; in Mindanao peace because President Duterte&#x27;s approach requires the participation of all stakeholders in the solution to the Moro rebellion.&quot;He is not addressing merely the MNLF or the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), but he thinks what should be done is an agreement by all concerned, including the indigenous peoples, including the Christian settlers, and I think within that context, the invitation to Misuari is a given,&quot; he said. &quot;I’m not surprised by it. I think it’s a statesman’s position.&quot;The rebel leader earlier went into hiding after a court issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with the bloody <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/list/tag/zamboanga-siege" target="_blank">Zamboanga City siege</a> in 2013.The siege, according to Misuari&#x27;s MNLF faction, was to protest the decision of the government of then-President Benigno Aquino III to hold talks with the rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).Casiple agreed that the said siege, which left hundreds dead, will &quot;complicate&quot; matters, but he also noted that having Misuari&#x27;s arrest warrant <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/03/16/court-suspends-arrest-warrant-vs-misuari" target="_blank">suspended</a> and bringing him to Malacañang was similar to what was done with the communist leaders who were set to attend negotiations with government officials abroad.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li>READ: <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/19/16/rebel-tiamzon-couple-optimistic-ahead-of-peace-talks">Rebel Tiamzon couple optimistic ahead of peace talks</a></li></ul>However, Tayao said Misuari must still be held accountable for the Zamboanga siege. He said that before the President can pardon Misuari, he must first be convicted. &quot;But there&#x27;s no conviction first; it&#x27;s still in the process. You can have amnesty, but you have to have Congress in it, which means it will take a longer process,&quot; he said.&quot;Whichever tack the president takes, it&#x27;s a political measure so however you want it, it will have a political impact,&quot; he added.<div>BETTER CHANCES TO SOLVE MORO REBELLION </div>Casiple said Duterte may issue an executive order to create a new Bangsamoro Transition Commission after a summit with Moro stakeholders agreed to &quot;broaden the Bangsamoro Transitional Commission to include all stakeholders, including the IPs and the Christians.&quot;&quot;I think there is a greater chance here to really solve the Moro rebellion,&quot; said Casiple.Senator Loren Legarda echoed this, saying getting Misuari into the talks and discussions would &quot;really be very helpful&quot; because he has the &quot;wisdom and the knowledge of the needs of our Moro brothers and sisters.&quot;Legarda, who admitted that Misuari is a close friend, believes having the Misuari&#x27;s MNLF faction on the table would lead to the creation of a more inclusive Bangsamoro Law.&quot;Bringing the MNLF would really be an inclusive way of having the discussions and we are awaiting the new draft of Malacañang, but even then, perhaps we could look at the version that we had last year,&quot; she said.

President Rodrigo Duterte's treatment of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari shows his grasp of Mindanao political nuances, analysts said Friday.

President Rodrigo Duterte's treatment of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari shows his grasp of Mindanao political nuances, analysts said Friday.

'Olive branch to Misuari shows Duterte's grasp of Mindanao'

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'Olive branch to Misuari shows Duterte's grasp of Mindanao'

Trishia Billones,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 05, 2016 12:42 AM PHT

Read More:

ANC

ANC Top

ANC Exclusives

Nur Misuari

Edmund Tayao

Ramon Casiple

Loren Legarda

MNLF

Moro National Liberation Front

Moro peace

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