March 3, 2000, The Philippine Star, Talks deadline bad for economy - CBCP,

March 3, 2000, The Philippine Star, Talks deadline bad for economy - CBCP,

Catholic bishops said yesterday President Estrada is delaying the country's economic recovery with his hard-line stance against Muslim rebels.

"The only means for an economic recovery is to alleviate poverty through peaceful means in Mindanao," said Monsignor Hernando Coronel, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

He said giving the rebels a deadline for peace only sends a bad signal to Muslims as well as to the business community.

The President earlier threatened to intensify the military offensive in Mindanao if peace talks collapse. He has given government peace negotiators until June to forge a pact with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Coronel urged the President to take the peace path instead of threatening the rebels.

"We are saddened that President Estrada has not been following the path to peace and that he has ordered an intensification of conflict in Mindanao," he said.

"The President should instead put the economy on track," he said.

In other developments yesterday, the CBCP urged the government to review the Visiting Forces Agreement following an accident in the military exercises that took the life of a soldier.

Coronel specifically asked the Senate to investigate the death of Corporal Noli Dadivas, who died when an amphibian tank ran over him.

"We are urging our friends in Congress to determine why such an accident has happened," he said.

Coronel said they do not understand why the accident occurred despite the sophistication and technology of the military today. --