Elusive peace

Inherent in every person and part of human nature perhaps is the desire to have peace and harmony in the community and in the entire country where they live. This is especially true of Filipinos who have been longing for that elusive state of affairs because of the seemingly endless armed conflicts and destructive turmoil and disorder in several parts of their beloved land, the Philippines. Hence the peace initiatives taken by this administration with our fellow Muslim countrymen in southern Mindanao, particularly with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is most welcome indeed.

Of course, differences of opinion and dissenting voices cannot be avoided especially regarding the peace accord reached in March last year between the government and the MILF. All these however should be treated and considered as contributions to the efforts in reaching a real and a durable peace in our land consistent with the principles enshrined in our Constitution and upholding our territorial integrity and sovereignty as a nation. They should not be regarded as stumbling blocks to the peace process or as attempts to impede this administration in taking credit for attaining this elusive goal.

Most important in this connection is the proposed law (HB 4994) for the creation of a “Bangsamoro” to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) known as the act providing for the basic law in that region of our country or the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Congress should not hastily pass said law just to meet a deadline it has set. On the contrary it should look into the constitutional flaws being pointed out by different groups.

Foremost among these issues is giving the Bangsamoro people the right to self determination where fears have been expressed that it may pave the way to a unilateral right of secession. Also, under the BBL the Bangsamoro entity appears to be equal to or have more powers than the government over their territory. Why indeed should there be a separate Commission on Audit (COA), a separate Civil Service Commission (CSC) and a separate Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the proposed autonomous region? And why has the Ombudsman been deprived of power and jurisdiction over officials of the autonomous region? And what are the implications of having a parliamentary form of government in the region different from our country’s presidential system?

As pointed out by the Philippine Constitutional Association (Philconsa) there is already a recent case involving North Cotabato decided by the Supreme Court holding that people in the region “have no right to secession since it is not under colonial rule or foreign domination, nor are they deprived of the freedom to make political choices and pursue economic, social and cultural developments.”

But the most important question in the minds of our countrymen regarding this peace treaty is on the parties involved. Immediately noticeable is the presence of Malaysia, a foreign country which appears to be supervising and hosting the series of conferences held until the signing of the treaty. This aspect somehow undermines our sovereignty as a nation and intrudes into our territorial integrity. It even bolsters the impression that the treaty will eventually result into the formation of a separate Bangsamoro State.

Furthermore, the peace talk here is only between the government and the MILF, a rebel group that seceded from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) with which the government then under President Fidel V. Ramos also entered into a peace treaty. This is a feature of the treaty that raises serious and well founded belief that the peace we have been longing for will not be durable and lasting like what happened after that first treaty. In fact right now a splinter group of the MILF has already been formed even before the accord could be implemented, known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) which has been creating a lot of trouble in the region. 

The attack and recent mass slaughter by the combined forces of the MILF and the BIFF of 44 members of police Special Action Force (SAF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao while trying to arrest two wanted international terrorists with $5 million reward money for their capture, raises more doubts about attainment of true peace in the region and the real situation in that area. 

First of all it appears that even before the passage of the BBL, it is already the MILF rather than our government which has control, power and authority over the region. As the MILF is now claiming, the massacre would not have happened if the government just coordinated with them regarding the operation. The clear implication here is that our government can no longer enforce our laws and serve warrants of arrest on persons hiding in that part of our territory without coordinating with this group. This is a direct assault on our territorial integrity and sovereignty as a nation. It also shows lack of sincerity on the part of the MILF and thus creates doubt about its standing as a real party to a peace accord.

This unfortunate incident likewise reveals further our dysfunctional government and its inability to handle such situation. It now appears that DILG Secretary Mar Roxas and the Chief of the PNP have not been informed before-hand about the operation. But in P-Noy’s televised speech about the incident he admitted knowing about the police operation although he did not give a categorical yes and no answer on whether he approved it and whether the suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima handled it. The only thing clear in this regard is that he cannot and has not likewise categorically denied such report. Such stance only intensified even more the persistent call for him to step down. More unfortunate here is that it raised ugly speculations which are quite unfair to the slain SAF members and their families.

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