Mayor Celso Lobregat said the national government should leave any peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should be left to the next president stating that pursuing the matter at this time would be futile and useless.

Mayor Lobregat emphasized this in a meeting with Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Anabelle Abaya who was in Zamboanga City Sunday to consult with the chief executive.

?Any peace agreement with the MILF should be left to the next president. Do not tie the hands of the next administration,? Lobregat told Sec. Abaya.

The mayor emphasized that he is for the continuation of the peace talks with the MILF but the present peace panel should not rush things if only to come up with an agreement before the end of the term of President Arroyo.

Many times over, the mayor said it has been the consistent view of Zamboanga and its residents that one of the crucial foundations for any peace process is that it should be based on true, genuine and meaningful public consultations not only with local government officials but also with the stakeholders and all sectors of the society, to include the indigenous cultural communities, religious leaders, academe, non-government organizations, the business communities, social and civic organizations, youth and the like.

Lobregat has been meticulously monitoring the conduct of the peace process ever since the time of interim peace agreements with the Moro National Liberation Front in an effort to protect the interest of the city of Zamboanga.

The mayor together with North Cotabato Vice Governor Manuel Pinol and Iligan Mayor Lawrence Cruz led in the fight against the signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) on the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) a year ago.

Lobregat was given the rare opportunity to speak before the Supreme Court during oral arguments on the MOA-AD and his presentation contributed much to the landmark decision of the High Tribunal declaring the MOA-AD-BJE as unconstitutional and contrary to law.

Reports indicate that the peace panel, headed by Ambassador Rafael Seguis is hopeful that an agreement may be reached before the end of the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.