JI wins if MILF-GRP Talks Fail
August 10th, 2008 by Patricio MangubatPeace panel member Rodolfo Garcia yesterday belied lingering doubts on the real intention of government behind the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). He says cha-cha is not the prime reason for the MOA. They consulted Constitutionalists Fr. Bernas and Sedfrey Candelaria and at no point did they view the MOA as violative of the charter. Yes, they may be some constitutional changes, but this does not involve a suggestion or a proposal for Gloria to extend her term beyond 2010.
Ding Deles, former peace adviser castigated the government for going to the peace table with “unclean hands”. She says government can’t deliver its promises because the MOA will go thru many constitutional processes before it can be effected and it might hit many snags, leading to frustration and failure of the talks.
What Deles is actually saying is that this government cannot really enter into any agreement with the MILF because it really cannot deliver what the Bangsamoro is aspiring for.
Baloney. If this administration can’t deliver, then, there’s no chance also for the next to solve the Bangsamoro Question, right?
Besides giving the Bangsamoro their own independent Republic, what more can the government under ANY admistration can offer within Constitutional bounds? Can we think of other proposals besides giving the Bangsamoro a state under a federalist setup?
What Deles and the rest of the oppositors don’t realize is this–if this deal doesn’t push thru, we all risk a further escalation of this problem, even leading to a very serious regional security problem in the years to come. Why?
If the MILF fails to deliver its mandate before its constituency, it risk losing credibility and support. When it loses credibility, young and old fighters would turn into another direction, one of them is extremism, as offered by the Jemaah Islamiyah. This regional terror group has been operating in Mindanao since 2000, and if the MILF loses its mass base, these fighters will resort to other more extreme means of getting what they want. This is what happened to the MNLF. When it capitulated in 1996, extremist groups such as the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) gained strength and became such a huge force it is still being neutralized as of this moment. Are we prepared to see other ASG-like guerilla groups operating not only in Mindanao, but in other parts of this country?
That’s the second point—are we ready to deal with a new secessionist group, and not the MILF? Do we have a better chance to forge peace with another group? What more can we offer?
This is what US Ambassdor Kristie Kenney wants to avoid. That’s why the US deems it very important to oversee the talks. Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro in his interview over at Private Conversations on ANC says that the real interest of the US in those talks is to ensure regional security. Why?
If the Mindanao conflict spills over the rest of the region, it threatens the US mainland. A radicalization of young Moro fighters in Mindanao poses a very serious security risk for America. Remember that past World Trade bombers trained and even used the Mindanao corridor as a springboard towards the US. The possibility of Mindanao becoming a regional hub of terrorism is very high if these peace initiatives fail.
So, my fellow Filipinos, I know we hate Gloria so much. We don’t want her to extend her term beyond 2010. If we really think hard about this, a term extension is simply a totally different matter altogether. It is really not connected with this MOA or the Mindanao peace talks. For once, try to think beyond our interest and consider the implications of this issue in the regional fight against terror.
August 10, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Implicit in your appeal is that Bangsamoros are not Filipinos too. At best, that is an arguable proposition. The Bangsamoros have as much claim to that identity as the Manilenos or Cebuanos or the Tsinoys.
Furthermore, i don’t think we have exhausted the potential of the Local Government Code and other laws within the existing Constitution in giving the Moros the equivalent of what they want in the area of self-determination. Given that the MOA is already there, what i think our legal and constitutional experts (this time with the participation of the Muslim and Christian communities in Mindanao and Palawan) should do is to rework the agreement in a way that will deliver on its substance without violating the Constitution. Abe’s preceding post is a good start.
August 10, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Nego supositum!
What guarantee is there that “radicalization” of the Moros, young and old, cannot occur if Bangsamorostan is established at the point of a gun? Lookit, the MILF even wants its own “internal security force” for the BJE.
I would say it is in fact your dire prediction that would occur if that happens. Since even the dhimmi rodolfo garcia claims BJE is being done to “correct historical injustices” there would be no end to the calls for such correction even after establishment.
The argument presented is fallacious and smacks of surrender to the strategies and tactics of terrorists.
August 10, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I think the supposition that the ASG is more radical than the MILF is also wrong to begin with. Their terrorist activities are “retail” whereas the MILF is holding the whole country hostage and wants Bangsamorostan as its ransom payment.
But look at what happened with the Ces Drilon kidnapping. After the ASG got 20 million reasons to turn away from the JI, under your logic, there were four kidnappings for ransom in as many weeks that followed.
Their Big Brothers in the MILF would act the same way even if they get what they want courtesy of pinheads like Rodolfo Garcia and Jess Dureza. Paying ransoms only sets up the next kidnapping. It’s like pouring gas on a fire, and the more fuel you pour, the bigger the fire.
The Peace Talks have degenerated into negotiations for how we are to pay them their desired ransom.
August 10, 2008 at 5:10 pm
“Yes, they may be some constitutional changes, but this does not involve a suggestion or a proposal for Gloria to extend her term beyond 2010.”
What makes you so sure? As far as I know, There’s no limitations to the agenda of constituent assembly or constitutional convention.
August 10, 2008 at 5:22 pm
If this BJE pushes through, it would be a haven for terrorists. Less Philippine control means better environment for JI-like elements to grow. Not to mention the potential indoctrination of citizens there to extremism due to the MILF’s control of the educational system and practically all aspect of those people’s lives.
Or, under your logic, extremists would STILL sow terror if the MILF push through with the MOA because the MOA only gives them a de facto state, not a de jure one, right?
And no, don’t blame the republic for regional instability. It’s the MILF who brought instability to the region. If you want stability, wipe those secessionist off.
For all we know, the Americans might be interested with exploiting energy resources in Sulu Sea and Liguasan Marsh instead of regional stability. Which is probably why there’s the provision giving this BJE the power to enter into economic partnerships with foreign countries.
Wake up, Patricio. Stop this bullshit. Don’t think of the MILF as an entity equal of our Republic. Don’t exclude our Filipino Muslim brothers from the Filipino nation.
April 3, 2009 at 4:18 am
Let’s get this done and over with. Partition the farcical failed Philippine sate.