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“Praise God,” said Gen. Rodolfo Garcia. Like
“rain in May during a hot summer,” said a friend who is on the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) panel.
The recently concluded executive
session between the Philippine government and MILF Peace Panels on
July 16 in Kuala Lumpur, brokered by the government of Malaysia, has
been hailed by both parties as a breakthrough. According to “Luwaran,”
the website of the MILF, their negotiations with Philippine
government representatives in Kuala Lumpur was “grueling.”
The three remaining contentious
issues on territory and governance of the Bangsamoro ancestral
domain were resolved. Ancestral domain has been the key and thorny
issue in the negotiations since December 2004. During the KL talks
in November, the MILF broke off screaming bad faith.
After the failed talks, the MILF
panel had accused the Government of the Republic of the Philippines
(GRP) for diluting the agreed consensus points with conditions
(revolving on constitutional processes). In an effort to resolve the
impasse, the parties met in executive session on January 28 and
February 1, 2008. The MILF stood firm on its position. Malaysian
Facilitator Dato’ Othman bin Abdul Razak had to undertake back
channel talks to reconcile the conflicting positions of the parties
on ancestral domain that would constitute the Bangsamoro Homeland
under the jurisdiction of a proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE).
However, the GRP peace panel
maintained that the government had to engage the services of legal
consultants to review the draft MOA. It took the government more
than 100 days just to undertake the due diligence review. Finally,
last month, the GRP Peace Panel submitted its three-point proposal
on the remaining unresolved issues.
The parties have agreed to resume
the peace talks on July 24 to finalize the draft MOA on Ancestral
Domain and its signing before the end of July. The formal talks on
the substantial political aspect of the talks will follow.
What did they agree on?
1. The MILF agreed to be silent
on the word “freedom” and settled for “aspiration of the Bangsamoro
People.” However, the MILF pointed out that the General Framework
of Intent signed on August 27, 1998, and the Tripoli Agreement of
2001 do contain the F-word.
2. Government has agreed to
include the phrase “non derogation of prior agreements” which,
in theory, binds both parties to all previous agreements. Thus,
“freedom” is still in as a major principle.
3. I greatly appreciate the
inclusion of “consultations with the Bangsamoro people free of any
imposition in order to provide chances of success and open new
formulas that permanently respond to the aspirations of the
Bangsamoro people.” We, da pipol, will have a say!
4. “Jurisdiction and control of
the natural resources.”
5. Provision for a timeline for
implementation of the agreement, including the holding of
plebiscites in the 712 barangays to be included in the proposed
Bangsamoro homeland.
The talks to come will tackle
more contentious issues: political structure and governance,
inter-governmental relations between the central government and the
BJE, power-sharing, revenue, wealth and resource sharing,
jurisdictional and control over internal waters and territorial sea,
internal security, demilitarization, amnesty for ex-combatants,
reconstruction and development, human rights issues, protection of
civil and political rights, and other residual issues not fully
resolved.
Looks like Mrs. Gloria Arroyo
will have genuinely positive news for her state of the Nation
address (SONA). This would at least distract attention away from her
failed or forgottenpromises since her first SONA.
Let me refresh your memory on
some of her SONA promises to Mindanao and the Bangsamoro:
2001: “We will continue to talk
with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the National Democratic
Front as long as all sides maintain good faith.” Didn’t GMA say
in May 2003 that “We will not allow the MILF to continue fooling
the Islamic world [that] it is an insurgent organization with
legitimate aims, when it is engaged in the murder of innocent
civilians.”
2003: “There is no way to
peace. Peace is the way.” (Collateral damage and Extrajudicial
Killing don’t count?)
2005: “Eighty percent of our
peace talks with them have been completed. Permanent peace in
Mindanao is within reach.” (The statistician who came up with 80
percent probably also produced the statistics on improved employment
figures and poverty.)
2006: GMA backtracks by passing
the buck, stating “If we can harness the forces of good in our
nation, the positive force at work here at home and those from
abroad such as US, Malaysia, the OIC and others, we shall prevail in
Mindanao with a peace agreement that brings freedom and hope to all
Filipinos.”
“Mindanao is our priority for
agribusiness investments in the south.” (Our farmers and agri-business
sector are still waiting).
2007: “The Departments of
Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, and Environment and Natural resources
will devote 30 percent of their program budgets to Mindanao. DAR
will move to Davao.” (Still waiting.)
Will the signing of the GRP-MILF
Peace Agreement bring peace? Maybe. We can only hope and pray. Did
the signing of the 1996 GRP-MNLF Peace bring peace? Will the
agreement be the instrument to finally open the door to
Constitutional amendment?
But I am a sucker for good news
and successful talks. Talking is good. Talking never killed anyone,
I think . . .
aminarasul@yahoo.com
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