Caught in the power struggle between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and The Government of The Philippines (GRP), is the Bangsamoro people. Whether we agree with their assertion that they deserve a separate entity from the rest of The Philippines, one thing is glaringly obvious, that these Bangsamoro civilians are taking the brunt of these hostilities and of the conflict by way of their lives.
When, we as writers, columnists, news people, and bloggers, write about the horrific turmoil that has beset our brothers and sister of Mindanao, we cannot truly feel what it is like to be in the eye of the storm.
We, The Filipino People, suffer because this is causing, once again, a fueling of our further stagnation in our economic and social progress. But, while we suffer from a lack of progress, many in Mindanao are suffering from a more physical, near term and phsyical danger — and it is the loss of lives, the loss of livelihood, the loss of their homes, and the loss of their security.
It is a total different equation altogether, comparing a guava from a mango, the inherent experience is different, and yet we suffer from the same conflict and situation — one ongoing event.
As Filipinos we may have a tendency or a knee jerk reaction to oppose anything and everything that divides our nation, because we have always held the ideal that we must always contribute to the unity of this nation, the unity of this republic.
As I have said, such conflicts, brings out of the woodwork, those selfish individuals and groups who seek power — this is not new. Man is a being that seeks power, it is up to the collective to put these individuals in check, or face the situation that we are in as we speak. The conflict in Mindanao is decades long. It seems that there can be a solution in terms of federalism, but this whole situation is clouded by the fact that both of the parties taking part in the negotiations are parties that do not deserve the trust that is needed to push the negotiations forward.
It is hard for any individual to take seriously the two sides, especially when there are many in their ranks who lean towards the extreme left, or the extreme right when talking about this issue.
But as I have observed, both sides need to tackle this issue with an open mind. One side letting go of “Bangsamoro first because we are not Filipino”, and the other side letting go of “Philippines first, because The Bangsamoro are Filipinos”. It seems, when such ideas are already ingrained in the psyche of both sides, it is hard to let go of such ideals, and it is often these ideals that are used to exploit both sides. And in our case, it can even be used by a group of armed men, THE MILF, who say they speak for the entire Bangsamoro people and the inhabitants of which they wish to rule in the Bangamoro Juridical Entity.
Take both The Arroyo Administration and The MILF out of the equation, it seems to me that there is room for negotiations, where both sides may not get exactly what they want, but it will be a step forward, instead of taking a gigantic step backwards. The kind of backward movement that we have seen in recent weeks. Take both sides out of the equation, and the issue itself can take center stage.
To fault any other party is ridiculous, at the end of the day it is only The Arroyo Administration and The MILF that have made their own little war for power be the spark for the deaths of many civilians.
And so, we have come full circle, to the realization, that in this conflict, the heaviest burden of suffering has been laid on the shoulders of The Bangsamoro People. Agree or disagree with how this is turning out, it seems to me, that the biggest of all the losers are the people caught in between.
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Here in FV, there was an attempt by Grace to present the Bangsamoro viewpoint in her ‘Magic Hour’ piece. The reactions were not encouraging. Either she was treated like the spokesperson of the MILF or was told to suck it up. If MILF lay down their arms (DJB’s ‘DDR’ advocacy), what is the assurance that the real world Bangsamoro advocates will not be treated similiarly?
It is the central fallacy of the peace process that we can get anything useful done at gunpoint. In fact, have not decades of it failed? So what is the assurance “that real world Bangsamoro advocates will not be treated similarly”?
Why, absolutely none!
That is the risk they must take. They’ve tried guns for half a century. by trial and error, it is the MILF that ought to give peace a chance.
But if they insist on armed struggle, they cannot at the same time demand that the other side somehow NOT defend itself and retaliate according to the Law.
I guess this can’t get any more basic. Either we are willing to deal with armed gunmen demanding chunks of the Philippine territory or we are not.
Neither side can have it both ways.
AS for the Mushroom Hour, let’s not make it appear as if people here at FV are unsympathetic to human suffering. That would not only be unfair, it would be utterly untrue is my guess from the general tenor most writing here. Also, nothing in her piece makes the suffering depicted limited to the Bangsamoro only. In fact it was largely Christians who were displaced and rampaged upon by Bravo et al.
If Grace got catcalls from some (not me), that is the risk any artist takes. Her piece unfortunately straddled both the world of literature/art and politics. Not easy to carry off.
DJB, it would not be entirely unreasonable for the Bangsamoro people to suspect that they are being tricked.
Dean Jorge Bocobo: [to Grace] Disarm!
Grace: Ok.
Nick: Great, now let’s talk.
Grace: Ok, now let’s discuss Bangsamoro concerns {Magic Hour etc. etc.]….
Jon: You’re an MILF-sympathizer!
Benign0: Tough luck Grace!
Check mate.
cvj,
Well I’m glad somebody knows what the Bangsamoro People are thinking. But you make it sound like “the Bangsamoro People” are some kind of Borg-collective whose mind can be read by all peace loving pundits. I doubt if the Bangsamoro people even knew they wanted a BJE headed by the MILF.
I don’t see how you can confound the MILF with “the Bangsamoro people”.
what about the MNLF and traditional Moro leaders? what are they? chicken liver?
Who says that the MILF is the be all and end all of the BM people?
I think GMA was merely using the MILF to get her own “peace legacy of sorts”. So Maybe the MILF was hoodwinked. Phooey on them. Serves them right.
But the Bangsamoro People were never fooled. They are working on reform and development and progress like the rest of indios: without pointing guns and blowing up innocent civilians and brave soldiers.
I say just forget the MILF. Let them play kumander games all they want. Their era is over.
Disarm and trust that the Filipino People want peace even more than them!
@cvj, it is indeed the sentiments of a few that I have conversed with, and through email exchanges too, that indeed they are being tricked. But we have to be open too, that maybe the Bangsamoro are being tricked by both parties.
I have to agree with the assertion laid bare, coming from DJB.. that the MILF must be taken out of the equation. If there is a hindrance to peace, then the MILF is a big factor in this hindrance.
They have become the HAMAS of our Republic, the parallels are there.
But, as I have made clear, both sides should be heard… I think a more clear perspective on this debate can take place, if and only if, the MILF is taken out of the equation. This holds true with the Arroyo Administration, there are just too many in her Administration, in her congress, that have personal interests at stake, and these interests are not necessarily focused on The Bangsamoro people.
Nick, the reality is that neither you, me or DJB can provide any assurance that we can rein in our hardliners so we could very well be seen as a Trojan Horse [no matter how well meaning].
The comments of Benign0 here are more realistic…
So given the above logic, what incentive does the Bangsamoro have to give up its army?
their lives.
Stark cold analysts will rationalize that the 500,000 or so internally displaced persons are part of the collateral damage, in order to bring to justice the two renegade MILF groups.
Was this administration just too ready to go to an ‘all out’ war, after being rebuked for almost entering into a faulty, Constitutionally-infirm, agreement?
Let’s hope they’re as well prepared to provide ahuge humanitarian relief and assistance.
The real tragedy is that the Philippine government persists to talk it out with RADICAL ISLAMISTS. The real reason why this peace process is a sham is precisely because radical Islamists do not compromise on any of their demands. Yes, think Hamas, the Taliban that exacts 10% tax from Afghan poppy farmers, the ones wanting to claim Kashmir in India right now, the ones pulverized by the US in Iraq (be it Sunni or Shia), etc.
Radical Islamists in the Philippines DO NOT represent the Bangsamoro. The MNLF just happened to have been the political party that ran (still runs) the ARMM (a convenient political party that was formed to appease Misuari and his ilk).
The MILF (the radical Islamists along with the common thieves ASG) wants separation and self-rule. That is TYPICAL of radical Islamism (Islam + Political Agenda).
It is very correct to observe that people of Bangsamoro are the ones suffering in the decades-long rigodon between a government that has so many selfish interests and motives entrenched (read: patronage politics) in the natural richness of Mindanao and Muslim radicals who want to rule the world in the name of Allah.
It is downright ridiculous to think that radical Muslims will surrender their arms and integrate into the established government. No radical Islamist group has ever done that in the world.
Fact is that the MILF is not the Bangsamoro. Most Muslims in Mindanao do not even approve of the MILF’s existence.
So where will the dislocated people go? To foreign aid, everyone.
The MILF is just the latest manifestation of the Moro struggle for self-determination and if they are gone new conglomeration of forces will take their place just like the Abu Sayyaf succeeded the exhausted MNLF in Western Mindanao. Marcos did the country a great disservice by stoking the fires of Moro nationhood and now the opposition to the MOA-AD and Filipino chauvinism just generated a new generation of Moros who will fight against the government. Short of ethnic cleansing (which Marcos through a brutal Martial Law regime tried and failed in the 70s and our country was far richer and the Moro rebels poorly armed at that) the “war” in whatever form will never end just look at Tamil Eelam (in Sri Lanka), the Nagaland (in India), Chittagon Hill Tracts (in Bangladesh), Palestine, Kashmir, Kurdistan, Chechnya, Balochistan, Uyghur, Tibet, Ogaden (in Ethiopia), Darfur, South Sudan, etc. So we better shut up and we should all accept that “war” will never end in Mindanao. Forget your fantasies this is perpetual war until we run out of oil because of peak oil or we are invaded because of our resources and the impending resource wars and civilization itself begins to perish. The Moros have an ideology that is religion based and you can’t kill religion short of launching a new Crusade that will surely make Mindanao “jihad central” ala Afghanistan or Iraq with 200 million Muslims in Indonesia (with an even chance of 1 percent jihadi) waiting in the wings. So better to deal with the Moro nationalists now in the MILF than deal with a new generation of jihadis later on whose goal will not be a Bangsamoro Nation within a Philippine State but a war against oppressors of Islam which is how the Philippines looks now to the rest of the Islamic world. By the way Grace is wrong that Muslims in Mindanao don’t support the MILF existence (stop dreaming Grace, wake up) since the MILF enjoys tremendous popular support among the Muslims or else they would not be able to field thousands of men, volunteers willing to give up their lives for the cause of Bangsamoro FREEDOM from Philippine neo-colonialism (lets be honest for once it is neo-colonialism of the Moros by Filipinos).
this ultimate suffering of bangsamoro people i would like to say that the moro islamic liberation front is liable for the suffering of those people living in mindanao. i would like also to point the muslim or the islam religion who has the oblagation to settle this problem.
the comnplict of government and other organisation is normal because if there is no conflict in a particular state it caled be an abnormal state but for that particular conflict if the civilian is the subject of war that is emorality.I would like to call the attention to all muslim to settle that problem.