The Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain that formed the core of a peace accord between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been canceled, Philippine presidential spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo confirmed Aug. 21. Fajardo added that Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had vowed that future negotiations with MILF will take place with prior consultation with legislators and local officials. The agreement, which was signed in July, would have created a semiautonomous Moro homeland in the southern Philippines, bringing to an end a decades-long battle between the ethnic Bangso-Moro people, who are predominantly Muslim, and the Philippine government. The collapse of the agreement, and the subsequent political bickering in Manila and the MILF camps, leaves only a narrow window of opportunity to restore the peace initiatives and avoid a return to open warfare. The memorandum met stiff resistance from local Christian communities and politicians in the areas covered by the ancestral domain. With the backing of national legislators, a challenge to the agreement was taken to the Philippine Supreme Court, which ruled the deal unconstitutional in early August. Arroyo knew going into the agreement that the deal would face a challenge, but she took a calculated risk that the desire to end the insurgency in the south would build support (even if grudgingly) for one of her other long-term goals: charter change, referred to as "Cha-Cha" in the Philippines. To make the agreement constitutional, the charter of the Philippines' itself would need altering to allow for more of a federal system of government; this coincided with early Cha-Cha plans for a shift to a parliamentary system. Arroyo miscalculated, however, and the opposition to both the agreement and Cha-Cha remained strong. The move not only rallied Arroyo's political opponents, it also weakened her hand with other key pillars of society — namely, Christian groups (which worried about being sold out in the south) and the military, which had long struggled with the idea of a peace accord with MILF. As the political calculations began to unravel in Manila, a similar struggle occurred among the leadership of MILF. The peace accord with the government was not universally backed within MILF. This was a repeat of the rifts that emerged among Moro fighters when Manila forged a peace accord with the larger Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) a decade ago. At that time, the MNLF split over the idea of a peace accord, leading to the expansion of MILF — which continued its militant insurgency. Now, MILF faces similar internal rifts. With the peace accord now collapsing, MILF leaders who backed the deal are facing internal pressure for risking the security and goals of the group for a peace accord that wound up collapsing. The dissenters responded with a series of attacks in the southern Philippines led by two MILF field commanders. MILF leadership claimed the attacks were unsanctioned, but reflected the impatience of the field commanders with the government reversal on the peace accord. In part, the attacks were a negotiating tactic. They served as a warning that without a revival of the accord, MILF cannot control all its fighters. At the same time, the attacks reflected the genuine mistrust several MILF commanders have for the government deal. Both Arroyo and MILF commanders now face a rapidly closing window in which to revive a peace accord to prevent a return to open warfare in the south. For Arroyo, failing to work out a new deal quickly means facing the risk of losing the support of the military and Christian interest groups. This could threaten not only her policy initiatives but also her presidency. She must either strike a permanent accord swiftly or appease the military and political opposition by throwing out the negotiations and sanctioning a new military campaign against MILF. MILF leadership has a similar need either quickly to recover the failing peace accord, and thus prove that striking deals with Manila is worth it, or to placate those who have seen the accord as a sellout of the group's ideals or a way to undermine MILF while the army prepares to strike. Without a rapid deal, MILF leadership will find it imperative to restart the insurgency or risk losing control over the militant group. The next move from MILF probably will come at a press conference set for Aug. 23 by its leaders. While both Arroyo and MILF leadership have an interest in reviving a deal quickly — and thus proving they were right to pursue the peace process — political forces on both sides are lining up to quash any accord. There is a very narrow window of opportunity, and it is closing rapidly.