Female members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have called on their leaders to continue working for peace with the Philippine government for the common good of Christians and Muslims.

“Muslims, when they voted for President Benigno Aquino III in the last elections, placed their hopes and faith in his leadership. Let us respect the voice of our people,” said Hadja Bainon Karon, head of the MNLF-Bangsamoro women’s committee.

The MNLF met with Philippine officials and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Saudi Arabia last month to discuss issues hindering peace in Mindanao.

The results of the discussions were that 33 MNLF demands out of 36 had already been met.

“Now let us not delay over the remaining issues,” said Karon.

The three remaining issues, which are also being negotiated with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, are: autonomy; the sharing of mineral revenue between central and regional government; and transitional mechanisms for governance.

Karon said the 1996 peace agreement between the MNLF and the government should have delivered peace to Mindanao.

“Our people expected peace, security and development. This was and is rightly so since the revolution was for them. It was not for us. It was for our people,” Karon said.

She appealed to MNLF leaders to unite, bury their differences and “consider the status and situation of our brothers and sisters so we can move on in crafting a future for our people.”

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