Philippines names new military adviser to peace panel

The Philippines has named a new senior military adviser (SMA) to the governmental peace panel for talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a senior government official said Tuesday. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said Brig. General Leo Cresente Macaltao Ferrer was designated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as SMA, replacing Brig. Gen. Restituto Aguilar, who retired last year. Deles expressed confidence on the new SMA who has extensive involvement in the peace process as a pioneer member and secretariat head of the governmental Ad Hoc Joint Action Group ( AHJAG) upon its establishment in 2004. The AHJAG is a joint effort of the government and the MILF which seeks to interdict and isolate lawless elements that take refuge in or near MILF communities. "I am pleased that someone like BGen Ferrer, who's bringing with him rich insights and experiences, will be working closely with our negotiating panel," said Deles. Prior to his SMA post, Ferrer was the commander of Task Force General Santos and the Philippine Army's 601st Brigade designated in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat province, as well as areas in Maguindanao province during the post-Maguindanao Massacre where he helped recover the Ampatuans' firearms cache and apprehend those allegedly involved in the massacre. According to the governmental Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, Ferrer was always compliant to the ceasefire agreement. A native of Pangasinan province, Ferrer graduated at the Philippine Military Academy in 1981. The MILF has been fighting government troops for decades to establish a self-rule Muslim sub-state in the south of the predominantly Catholic country. Peace talks between the government and the MILF stalled in August 2008 following the aborted signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain. A final peace deal with the government will touch the issues of autonomy and the civil settlement of the rebel group's 11,800-strong guerrilla fighters.