Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari arrives in Malacañang on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, ending three years of hiding following the 2013 Zamboanga siege (INQUIRER PHOTO).
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday welcomed the temporary suspension of the arrest warrant against Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chair Nur Misuari in connection with the Zamboanga City siege in 2013.
“Malugod lang naming tinatanggap ito dahil may proseso pong gustong tuparin ang ating mahal na Pangulo upang mapayapa nating maayos ang usapan na ito sa hanay ng MNLF,” AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla told reporters.
(We welcomed this because there is a process that the President wants to be done to ensure a peaceful negotiations with the MNLF.)
Misuari flew to Manila on Thursday after years of hiding in Sulu to meet with President Rodrigo Duterte at Malacañang.
The deadly Zamboanga siege in 2013 led to the deaths of nine soldiers, five policemen, 11 civilians, about 100 MNLF rebels, and also displaced thousands of residents from their homes.
Misuari was one of the 200 accused for the three-week siege.
Padilla said they were abiding by Duterte’s decision to resume the peace negotiations with the MNLF in order to attain peace.
“Hopefully all of these arrangements, all of these negotiations will lead to a long and lasting peace, sustainable peace for the whole country,” he added.
The spokesperson also said they were confident that the Zamboanga siege issue would not be set aside during the peace talks.
“Let us allow time for our negotiators to do their work. The more important thing is to serve justice but at the same time to bring peace to the land. Alam ko naman po na hindi ito isasantabi ng ating mga negosyador,” Padilla said.
“We are not saying that justice should not be served, but just the same we still uphold that justice be served on whatever happened to Zamboanga during the siege,” he added.