Shall we give peace a chance?

You cannot build peace without any unification efforts amongst the people of Mindanao. Yes, this is a tall order of duty but it is the first step to reaching the objective of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

I heard that the MILF group in Maguindanao was the only group consulted during the creation of the BBL. How can this be when there are way too many groups in this island? Not to mention the biggest island of the Philippines where all our rich natural resources are tucked away. Why didn’t the peace panel work with all the Muslim Tausugs, the Sambals, the Yakans, the Badjaos or the Sultan of Sulu?

The Muslim population alone consisting of different ethnic groups do not see eye to eye.  This is not to say, however, that peace is hopeless. As we very well know, peace can be achieved with all the right objectives and all the right moves.

There is more to tell in the Mamasapano tragedy than what we have been told. In a fearsome parody of the sweet sermon on the Beatitudes, the meek have indeed inherited the earth – buried six feet deep in the earth of their pathetic graves. Underneath the rubble of the earth are many dead civilians, soldiers including MILF men who died during the clash. More than what meets the eye. This was such a deadly clash because military protocols and so-called ‘peace’ agreements were not observed. Sanamagan!

Why doesn’t government admit that the ‘peace talks’ have already dismally failed? In fact, the MILF seems to be saying that they refuse to return to peace talks unless we promise them an independent Islamic State. Is this really what they want? Is this really what the BBL is all about? I doubt that our government will give up Mindanao in its entirety just like that.

Those Muslim brothers and sisters should see themselves as Filipino Muslims. We are one people and one race. We should unite ourselves and find the spirit of nationalism in our bloodstreams within the hearts and souls of every Filipino citizen.

My dad, the late Max Soliven once said that, “Giving the MILF rebels a slice of Mindanao is not a peace settlement. It’s abject surrender!” Is this what we want? Is this what the BBL is really all about? I hope that Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, head of the Government Peace Panel clarify the matter with our countrymen before such ‘misconceptions’ (if they are) – get worse!

Right now, I believe that CDO Representative Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on the BBL is jotting down points in the BBL that need to be revised, fine tuned or added to the proposed BBL. I’m pretty sure the members of the government peace panel are also doing the same. But shouldn’t they go down to the grassroots level and include the ordinary citizens not just the leaders of the different Muslim factions so that they can get the common consensus of the whole population and not just a part of it?

Shall we give peace a chance? Of course we should! But the government must be wary as they tread the path towards peace. Peace is freedom from or cessation of war or violence. It is not being cowed by the ranting and threats of the MILF and their Moro cohorts. The government must not hand over in a silver platter what rightfully belongs to the people and country. We must not be bullied to do things that will benefit only a few. We must not sell to the highest bidder our sovereignty just because we fear retaliation from the enemy. The Philippines is not for sale nor can it be given away. It belongs to all Filipinos regardless of religion or sub-culture.

To achieve peace, we must all come together as one nation under one flag. Otherwise, peace will forever remain an elusive dream for Mindanao.

*      *      *

What is happening to our coconuts? No, I am not referring to some ‘congressmen’ or ‘senators’ not even cabinet members or palace spokesmen. I am talking about the tree of life in its literal sense.

When former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan was appointed as Presidential Adviser for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization (PAFSAM) over a year ago and took over PCA, many were hopeful that the coconut industry would improve. So, what happened? There seems to be a very slow pace development going on almost zilch.

The virulent infestation which spread throughout Calabarzon has left only 300,000,000 trees at the beginning of 2015. A big portion of these remaining trees (estimated at about 30-40%) are underproductive or senile. There is very little to no replanting efforts taking place in farms. Neither PCA or the Department of Agriculture is teaching proper cultivation techniques that can raise the annual tree output from 43 nuts/year to even just 100 nuts/year.

In his SONA two years ago, P-Noy announced that the PCA would mount a coconut intercropping program including coffee and cacao. Funds had actually been released for this purpose. P-Noy and Congress also allocated a substantial budget for PCA to catalyze a Yolanda rehabilitation effort even as more funds were spent to contain the cocolisap infestation.

While various groups holler for the right to receive and utilize the coconut levy funds, the Commission on Audit may want to study what PCA has done with all the funds that have been put in its care by P-Noy and Congress for various agricultural coconut projects. It’s possible and probable that COA may discover a ‘Napoles’-style skullduggery in there.

Such agricultural improvements can help lift 3,500,000 to 4,000,000 farmers out of poverty with a little DA and PCA effort. But even greater earnings can be gained from coconuts once industrial manufacturing adds value to these raw materials and transforms these into finished products. Virgin coconut oil (VCO), coconut water, buko juice, cocosugar, coconut flour, coconut milk, ice cream, charcoal, personal care items, geotextiles, fertilizers and alcoholic beverages are among the finished products that come to mind. If said products can be branded, coconut exports may hit an annual level of $5,000,000,000 by 2017, aided by the international OFW network already in place.

The coconut agro-industry can offer immediate and dramatic results in the fight against poverty and hunger. But PAFSAM Pangilinan and PCA Administrator Romulo Arancon, Jr. must get their act together.

As summer is just around the corner, the cocolisap scourge is bound to revisit parts of Calabarzon. We will know in a few months how effective PCA’s neonicotinoid injections dealt with the plague. And since we all have accepted the reality that storms like Yolanda are sure to come, PCA should also now be laying out plans on how to respond to disasters, keeping PCA’s bureaucrats busy.

But my alikabok says that PCA may also become busy dealing with another set of issues. These are cases that may be filed with the Ombudsman stemming from improper bidding procedures for the coffee seedlings.

I hope that PAFSAM Pangilinan can show more teeth in commanding solutions and curving corruption in this very critical agro-industry.