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New peace czar wants stop to fingerpointing on priest's kidnapping

By Karen Reyes-Caringal, ANC | 11/05/2009 12:14 AM

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MANILA - Newly-appointed Presidential Peace Adviser Anabelle Abaya on Wednesday called for a halt in fingerpointing between government officials and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) over the kidnapping of Irish missionary Fr. Michael Sinnott.

"We should enjoin everybody who can legitimately assist us to have him freed. All these allegations, all these blaming can happen after we release him. I think what matters right now is not to pinpoint blame on this but to point to who can help us. If we are to do the fingerpointing at this point, we may be endangering, not just the people, but also Fr. Sinnott himself," Abaya told ANC's Top Story on Wednesday.

Abaya also said Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno should not quickly dismiss the MILF's efforts to secure Sinnott's freedom as well.

"There are many rumors going around that the MILF is responsible for it. My understanding is that the MILF had offered to assist. So if the MILF will assist, I think we should take them up on their offer. I don't know how Sec. Puno feels about this, as long as he knows it is a credible source of help for Sinnott's freedom," Abaya added.

Abaya believes Sinnott's kidnapping and ongoing efforts for the resumption of peace talks between the national government and the MILF should be dealt with separately.

"I think we should separate these 2 for now. In order to resolve the conflict, we have to do it one at a time. Let's not try to intertwine all of the conflict because we are going to make it more difficult to resolve the problems," she said.

Puno has brushed aside MILF peace panel chief Mohagher Iqbal's claims, he could be sabotaging, not just the peace process, but negotiations for Sinnott's release as well.

"Ang nakaka-sabotahe sa peace process ay 'yong kidnapping. There is nothing I can say that can either move it backward or forward. Every time na may ginagawang katarantaduhan ‘yong kanilang mga tao, they always deny they had anything to do with it. At the same time, they will say they are trying to solve the problem. (What sabotages the peace process is the kidnappings. Every time their men commit dastardly acts, they always deny they had anything to do with it)," Puno also told ANC's Top Story.

The MILF has said, it is planning to file a formal protest before the Philippine government’s peace panel over Puno's accusations that an MILF faction kidnapped and is still holding the 79-year-old Irish missionary.

Sinnott was taken by armed men from Pagadian City on Oct. 11.