For a Lasting Peace in Mindanao (Part II)

-
by Sixto Domogen
Benguet State University



The country’s Muslims …also became victims of government policies, especially over the use of land and resources. For instance, the Philippine Commission Act of 1903 declared null and void all land grants made by traditional leaders without the consent of the Government. All of Mindanao was opened to resettlement programs of homesteaders and the entry of corporations, a discriminatory Public Land Law was likewise implemented which favored homesteaders and corporations.

The Moro aspiration for independence has been articulated since the early 1900s through the various letters by the Moro Datus to the US Government, and there were at least three letters of the Datus to the US Government:

1. (1924) The letter of some Moro leaders to US Congress proposed that Mindanao, Sulu archipelago and Palawan be made into an unorganized territory of the USA; and that a plebiscite be held 50 years after Philippine independence, for Moros to decide whether to be part of the Philippines or be an independent state.

2.  (1935) The letter of some Moro leaders to US President which states: “We do not want to be included in the Philippine independence; once an independent Philippines is launched, troubles (will erupt) between us and the Christian Filipinos because from time immemorial these two people have not lived harmoniously.

3. (1961) The Bill filed by Congressman Ombra Amilbangsa – granted and recognized the independence of the province of Sulu.

In 1986, the Muslim Independence Movement (MIM) was formed with the aim of establishing an Islamic state of Cotabato, Davao, Zamboanga and Zamboanga City, Lanao, Sulu and Palawan, and the adjoining Muslim areas, including maritime areas therein. The hostilities between the Government and the Moros actually began in the 1970s between Government forces and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) – the first Moro revolutionary group.

Sometime in 1977, a faction of MNLF splintered and formed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). A final peace settlement with the MNLF was reached in 1996 under the concept of autonomy prescribed by the Tripoli Agreement of 1976. (Imelda Marcos was the prime mediator in behalf of RP with Khadapi of Libya acting as moderator between RP and MNLF, parenthetical comment mine) Meanwhile, peace negotiations with the MILF had been ongoing since 1997, and the talks hinge on the question of "how to solve the Bangsamoro problem."

The Mindanao conflict did not start from within. In other words, such misunderstanding and conflict did not come from the Moros but it can be traced to the invading colonizers. They divided and destroyed the unity of the Moros. The Spaniards called/portrayed the Moro people as illiterate, uncivilized and violent. (Alim 1995) 

The Mindanao conflict is a multi-complex issue. It has been a conflict that started four decades ago and will continue to exist if the national government will remain naive to the lack of freedom in the region in terms of people's rights to self-determination and the equitable distribution of resources. Yet, all sectors, organizations (private and public) must contribute something for the realization of a lasting peace in Mindanao.

As Bautista puts it, “The Moros are victims of social and political alienation. Their social political alienation in their own homeland is the direct and logical result of their economic alienation brought about by the forcible expropriation of their ancestral lands sanctioned by the Philippine Government to favor the Christian settlers and big corporations. The ultimate solution to their economic, social, and political alienation of the Moros appears to be the re-acquisition of their ancestral domain – the ultimate ground of their sovereignty and self-determination as separate people within the Republic."

In conclusion, the years of war has not only affected the Moro settlers but also Christians who live within the region. Many of them have not been able to maintain their businesses due to the unresolved conflict. Ending the years of war by granting the Bangsamoro right to self-government can lead to the flourishing economic activity and the further development in the region. This will be to the advantage not only to the Moros, or the Christians settlers in Mindanao, but also of the Filipino nation as a whole.

Popular posts from this blog

Gazing into the Abyss of Political Decay

-
Image
By Prof. Menelito Mansueto (MSU-IIT)  There's a circus in town but we need to know who the real clowns are. The desecration of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is a manifestation of the way power politics operates in this country. The recent attacks on VP Sara Duterte is not very different from the old style of character assassinations. But it is KOJC Pastor Apollo Quiboloy who has become the proxy in the war between the House of Marcos and the House of Duterte. Now is the season of politics.  The storyline goes to show that once again Philippine democracy is the loser. Instead of spending on infrastructure such as the Mindanao railway or the Cebu - Bohol Bridge, billions of funds in the form of ayuda are used for politicking. We are wasting public resources on bad political habits and practices. The government is functioning like an organized crime syndicate where stealing public money has become rampant. But the story extends further.  What is appalling is that those who que...
Read more

What does it mean to be a Scholar?

-
Image
  By Menelito Mansueto, MA MSU-IIT  One of the heated issues in academia today is the ranking of scholars based on citations. It's only in the Philippines that getting cited is a source of scorn for some. So, let's look at the facts. Being cited means that other scholars are reading your work. It doesn't mean though that your paper has no value if it's not cited. A paper has several academic purposes. In the area of scholarship, however, if one claims to be an expert on a topic or a philosopher, it's important to consider the impact of your work among your peers, here and abroad. Internationally, top scholars have thousands of citations, which makes them influential in the field. In the Philippines, especially for Philosophy, it's quite an achievement to be recognized by your peers. We can mention two names, Jeremiah Joaquin and FPA Demeterio, both from DLSU. JJ has 594 citations while Demeterio has 395 citations. JJ's work is on analytic philosophy while De...
Read more

Filipino Philosophy or A Filipino's Philosophy: Clarificatory Notes

-
Image
By Dr. Noel S. Pariñas Yes, the title is an exclusive disjunction, but it can be reformulated as a conjunctive statement as well. Obviously, the first disjunct is different from the second disjunct. Since the disjunctive statement is not tautological, the alternatives cannot replace each other. When the disjuncts are used synonymously and interchangeably, a philosophical problem would necessarily arise. Such a philosophical problem will give birth to debates and conflicting views without a definite path towards the possibility of resolution except when the context is made clear. There are philosophies in the Philippines; there are Filipinos doing philosophy; there are Filipino philosophers; there are Filipino philosophical writings; and every Filipino embraces an existentially personal philosophy. All these things mentioned are not materially equivalent to Filipino philosophy. Neither the above-mentioned can be logical grounds to justify the existence of the so-called Filipino philosop...
Read more