Everyone knows that there are two Moro liberation fronts, one of which made peace with the government almost two decades ago, and the other which is ending its own war with the national government via a widely praised agreement signed in Malacañang Palace earlier this week.

The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was a signatory to the Tripoli Agreement in the ‘70s, and the final agreement that resulted in a permanent cessation of hostilities in 1996. Buy and large, the MNLF has stuck to the peace pact, even as the Philippine government did not fully comply with all its terms and conditions. For one, the promised funds which would hasten the development of what is now known as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were never fully released. Whether it was due to budgetary constraints or any other reason—valid or otherwise—the failure of the government to keep its end of the bargain has resulted in the ARMM remaining the poorest region in the Philippines, bar none.

This has been one of the biggest complaints of the MNLF: The Republic of the Philippines was only able to deliver on a portion of the original agreement, yet it now comes up with yet another peace pact with another Moro organization.

That the MNLF and the MILF do not see eye to eye is no secret. At worst, there is much bad blood between the two Fronts.

Even the MNLF is itself split into two broad factions. One remains loyal to founder and spiritual leader Nur Misuari, and another that would rather relegate him to the dustbin of history.

For his part, Misuari refuses to go quietly into the good night. He feels that he is still a force to reckon with and he is running to reclaim the post of ARMM governor, a post that he held previously with little to show for it. His opponents within and without the MNLF say that the former warrior has become nothing more than a typical “trapo,” or traditional politician, one who lives for the perks of elected office.

For better or worse, the newly-signed peace agreement will result in the creation of the Bangsamoro region, to replace the ARMM. The new political entity will have a great need for many leaders, not just one governor.

The MILF will discover soon enough that administering a region or state is far different from waging war against the government. Indeed, keeping the peace can be harder than defending a territory with fighters and armaments.

There will be a need to establish a bureaucracy that delivers essential services to residents. There are schools and hospitals as well as roads and bridges that need to be built and maintained. Employment opportunities must be created to assure that the residents of the Bangsamoro state attain the best possible standard of living.

For its part, the administration of President Benigno Aquino 3rd must learn the lessons of the past. Previous administrations were all guilty to varying degrees of failing to deliver the funds and the development that caused the state of war between the government and the MILF to last for so long.

One step that the national government can take is to not only get the two sides to sit down and thresh out their differences, but for all members of the MNLF and MILF to forget that they are part of either Front, and remember that they are all Moros, or Muslim Filipinos.

A people with a proud and noble history
There is no need to rewrite history. Moros have always represented much of what is good in the Filipino. Their bravery and heroism have never been doubted, especially in times of war. It is the Moros who could not be conquered by the Spanish, American or Japanese invaders in the past, and it is the same Moros who defied the established order when they felt that they were fighting the good fight.

Whatever tribes they may come from, the Moros have a proud and noble history to look back on. That history provides a solid foundation for the Bangsamoro region.

Now, with a permanent and lasting peace on the horizon, they may yet become a part of the bigger force that protects the integrity of the republic. Just as many of the fighters of the MNLF were absorbed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and/or the Philippine National Police, so too can the MILF’s warriors become part of either organization.

Their added presence may yet prove to be a more powerful deterrent to outside interference and incursions into Philippine territory than merely purchasing second hand planes and boats.

If the government could work out a permanent cessation of hostilities with the MNLF, one that has stood the test of time, is there any reason why a similar cessation cannot take place between the MNLF and the MILF?

One answer could be found in our front page banner today: the conflict between the government and the MILF about the need for Moro rebel warriors to lay down their arms.

When the MNLF and the government began thir peace talks, the MNLF side was clearly of the position that the autonomous region for the Muslim Filipinos was not to be anything else but an integral part of the Philippine Republic.

When the GRP and the MNLF sides signed the Final Peace Agreement during President Ramos’ time, there was no question of MNLF warriors keeping their arms as members of the MNLF army. The MNLF army was disbanded and those who were qualified became integrated members either of the Republic’s national police force or armed forces.

We pray the MILF leadership agree to the graduated laying down of arms proposed by the GPH side.