Call it a turbulent time for the presidency of Benigno S. Aquino III. During the midterm of his seat as president, a whirlwind of formidable problem, that is, of catastrophic proportion will not escape from him for now. He has to deal squarely with the issues from pork to gun barrel. With the nation’s billions of pesos amassed by the few taken from the very clear and convincing litany of evidence, people salivate in excitement to see what’s next. But another co-equal issue left cold at the table of P-Noy is the highly questionable peace process going on in Mindanao.
Personally, it gave me a contemptuous sneer when conflict in Mindanao can be readily branded to the entire island, including the peaceful Davao City and neighboring regions. Who would not be sick about comments like: “Sawang-sawa napo kami sa bad news sa Mindanao” elicited in an editorial after a poll question by the now famous Anthony Taberna of Punto por punto. But what is really more compelling than billions of pesos lost from the coffers of the government and where did the transaction transpire? You, people in Manila or outside Mindanao should be sensitive about the feelings of the Mindanaoans. Poor Mindanao, it is not a beneficiary of government’s lavish spending to the point of victimizing the poorest of the poor. I hope media will also be responsible in bridging not only fair and accurate stories but also the history of our moro brothers that help shape our history and culture.
P-Noy’s style in the peace agenda for Mindanao was noted to be uniquely underlined after he gave a marching order for “all-out justice”, rather than all-out war with the Moro rebels. The president reaped a hell of criticism as he released the order after an ambush in Basilan which cost the lives of at least 19 government soldiers at the height of the peace negotiation process. Those soldiers were pitted to the hostile terrain and when bullets were fired towards them, the government, through its chief negotiator Marvic Leonen, was quick to respond “it was only an isolated incident”. Which side had first clicked the trigger was neither important nor relevant in peace talks. The soldiers’ families repulsed the horror in anguish knowing that this peace accord would naturally kill the issue on that much-publicized ambush and probably replace it with a campaign to rather trust the tie that now binds between the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) with the creation of Bangsamoro entity.
As I have written this in my previous column, may I reiterate thus: Mindanao’s history has carried the stigma and death’s stare of deprecating horror due to the reported too much bloodshed in the past. Its people were pictured with fear and terror, with criminals responsible for mass killings off the hook. Its economy was reported to be backward and for so many decades today, the government has not been successful in penetrating to the hearts of the moros. There was mass migration of the poor to other peaceful provinces while the warlords enjoyed the benefits of their seemingly ghost town territories. The rich and powerful have lorded it over, investing to their guns as capitals and successfully created chaos to the point of wielding an idea of having established an empire within an empire. The moros were perceived to knock off the legitimate government to its knees.
But this conflict should be taken into its proper context. The moros’ presence in Mindanao has pre-dated our government, that is, they were here even before the establishment of our republic. In fact, they should even be credited for having successfully defended the Philippine territory (or at least their territory) from foreign invasion. Historically, the war between Filipino Muslims and the Spaniards lasted for more than 300 years! When Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) cautiously pronounced the trust of government with the moro rebels should not slipped into the wrong hands, he meant it. Misuari should have known better. For when muslim secessionist movement in Mindanao was gaining ground in the 1970s, Misuari was among the first group of several trainees who worked for the independence of the Moro nation (Bangsa Moro). At the helm of his flock, Misuari cannot be treated as a cog in the wheel, to say the least, for the GPH-MILF framework agreement to run.
Peace was illusive in Mindanao. To recap, many presidents dared to traverse this lonely and hostile road in the pursuit of peace. Starting from the Ramos Administration, the government was able to forge peace pact with MNLF by initiating dialogues and agreements. This has earned for the country a peace prize award given in 1997 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). On September 15, 1993, President Ramos signed Executive Order No. 125, Defining the Approach and Administrative Structure for the Government's Comprehensive Peace Efforts. In this EO, Ramos introduced the Six Paths to Peace as recommended by the National Unification Commission (NUC) it was at this time that the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) was created.
In 1996, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) finally reached a peaceful settlement with the MNLF. MNLF was reported during that time to be one of the largest rebel groups in the country. It paved the way for the signing of the GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement on September 2, 1996 in Malacañang Palace. It was reported to have formally ended the armed conflict in Mindanao. The Final Peace Agreement was signed in the presence of the leaders of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). Its offspring were Special Zone of Peace and Development in Southern Philippines (SZOPAD) which consisted of 14 provinces; the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD); and a Consultative Assembly. What is important, it accordingly called for the integration of MNLF forces into the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), aside from the agreed economic assistance to the region.
It was in the Estrada Administration that a rebel group that opposed the previous administrations wanted to return to the negotiating table. Negotiations were aborted in the past due to the outbreaks of hostilities in Mindanao. A manifesto from said Muslim group was submitted to Estrada which sought for the declaration of cease-fire in Mindanao and that, criminal charges against the then MILF Chair Ustadz Salamat Hashim, vice-chairman for Military Affairs, Al Haj Murad and MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu were also asked to be dropped. It can be recalled that Hashim Salamat was among those MILF officials who were charged of multiple frustrated murder by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with the December 30 bombings in Metro Manila and the May 17 and 21, 2000 bombings of malls in Metro Manila.
When MILF Chair Murad Ibrahim rallies behind P-Noy until the closure of the agreement through GPH-MILF peace accord, some sectors have treated it with distaste. But what defines now the reality is that people wanted to go back to their homeland safe and bring this goodwill to their children. It is not enough that we be told that over forty years of fighting for the birth of a Bangsamoro entity, Murad will just close the deal with insincerity and suspicion. He and his men have to live by it and prove hope is still there. As our very respected Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said: “It’s better to talk for a thousand years than fight a days-war and lose lives unnecessarily”. I wonder, too that days after our mayor said such nugget of wisdom, many political experts subscribed to same idea. But P-Noy is even more bent on delivering additional forces to parry the moro rebels under the flock of Nur Misuari. What about the lives of the civilians in the crossfire? What about the collateral damage of such wasteful exercise? Let us make Mindanao fireproof. One way to achieve such goal is to appoint key people to deal on the political and economic issues head on. Let there be ceasefire now and give Misuari a seat in the negotiating table.
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