Affair with the Rebels
Deals and concessions were made with armed groups in Mindanao in the interest of lasting peace, at least during the period of presidential incumbency. The pact with Nur Misuari and his Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) that granted autonomy to certain regions in Mindanao had resulted to peace. That was until a new armed group called the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a breakaway group from the MNLF, with the same separatist agenda became notoriously prominent. Current and ongoing negotiations with the MILF by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) is believed to be heading positively towards another peace, but even before the framework agreement is forged, a new breakaway armed group from the MILF emerges and become known as the Bangsa Moro Freedom Fighters (BIFF). The latter demands independence from GRP which is more radical and directly challenges the GRP’s existing laws. Analyzing the mutations and evolution of the separatist rebels, one may realize