Implications of the North Cotabato attack

" If you have it, flaunt it."--Anne Curtis, Philippine actress

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) did exactly that today. They have arms, and lots of it, and they flaunted it by attacking barangays in North Cotabato. Former Congressman Lavina said, the MILF attacked them as early as 18 July, long before the expected signing of the MOA. So this incident, he says, is not a reaction to the botched signing last Tuesday. So, what was it?

What it is is muscle flexing. The MILF wants Filipinos to know that they are worthy of having a belligerent status. Under International law, belligerency means having the means and the power to fight an opposing force. The MILF was granted by this government a status of belligerency. That explains why the MILF was accorded equal status on the negotiating table. To sustain this status, the MILF needs to prove to the world that it has the armed capability to repulse any attack or conduct tactical maneuverings such as this one in North Cotabato. So, they flaunted it.

What the MILF does'nt realize is, they fell into a pathological trap set by this government. By allowing them to neutralize opposition, they are now being pictured as brutes or bullies. Or, more appropriately, bullies deprived of lollipops. That's their image right now.

So now, this attack puts them into a very dangerous and untenable situation. Should they push back, they'll be portrayed by the international community as having weaker or lesser force. If they can't claim what was allegedly theirs now, how can they do so when they sign the pact? Surely, the international community expects them to have enough force or firepower to neutralize those who'll threaten their new state. If they can't flaunt their powers now, they can't do so even if they have their own government.

If they indeed stay, they risk meeting a tremendous force coming from the sponsored armed civilian groups by those politicians, caciques and landowners not only of North Cotabato but even as far as Negros (as what Sen. Mar Roxas reported in the Manila Times). North Cotabato will become a war magnet, attracting anti-Muslim forces from all over the country. Surely, if that happens, that would risk a national war of such magnitude as to ultimately cripple the entire country.

This is the situation that Gloria and the peace panel obviously did not anticipate. For them, it's simple. When push comes to shove, they may need to declare Mindanao under a State of National Emergency, or worst, even suspend the writ of habeas corpus and ultimately martial rule. If that happens, that'll be too late because by that time, the conflict has reached alarming proportions that no amount of state action is enough to regain peace and order.

(as of presstime, the MILF has decided to "reposition" its forces in North Cotabato. Whatever that term means, it means capitulation. They decided to choose a better option.)

On the Bangsamoro Question

If you notice the main issue opposing the GRP-MILF deal, you'll notice one oft-repeating word: "dismemberment". Most analysts, unfortunately including United Opposition Spokesman Atty. Adel Tamano (a born Muslim by the way), say they oppose the deal because it would cause the division of the country, which, they say, contradicts the Constitution.

I dare say, what dismemberment? What is to be dismembered when there's no integration in the first place?

Beyond the legalities or the definition of a territory within the constitutional purview, did we, the Filipino People, really considered the Bangsamoro people as Filipinos? Are these people from Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Jolo, Zamboanga and all the rest of Moroland even considered themselves Filipino?

Did these people inhabiting Moroland act, live and breathe like Filipinos? Do we really integrate or assimilate their culture with our prevailing one?

When ask how do we describe our country, most of us would say "we're the only Christian nation in Asia", right? That statement alone shows you how isolated, how disjointed, how clear the distinction is in the minds of most Filipinos. Yes, it could be a factual statement, but it is not accurate. That statement already excluded 3 million born Muslims and millions more of reverted Muslims (or what we call "Balik-Islam").

Face it--these people constituting the Bangsamoro People--have a different system of beliefs, have a different tradition, have a different culture that totally opposes or contradicts the prevailing culture. What most Filipinos consider as legal, most are contradictory to Bangsamoro beliefs. The Bangsamoro is different. The Bangsamoro is unique. The Bangsamoro is not Filipino.

People opposing this deal do so because they're afraid they'll lose their powers. More than property rights, these people got wealthy enslaving the Bangsamoro. For decades, they enjoyed the fruits of the land, exploiting the natural and human resources of Mindanao, for their own. And what happened to those whom they enslaved?

Extreme and widespread poverty leading to widespread dissent and a long-standing war that has threatened the lives and futures of the Bangsamoro people. In all provinces of this country, Mindanao is the most impoverished, especially Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Jolo and Zamboanga.

Those claiming "royal blood" oppose this deal because they'll lose whatever "divine claims" they have over the Bangsamoro. I dare say, what right do they have to claim proprietary property claims to these Muslim lands when it is illegal to claim ownership of land under Islamic law in the first place? Besides, what "divine right" do they have when they have'nt done anything to uplift the lives of their fellow Bangsamoro in those lands which they claim to be theirs?

And those in the United Opposition who oppose this deal do so because, face it, Gloria can claim credence to this as the only president who successfully resolved the Bangsamoro Question. I oppose Gloria and want her out immediately, but, in this issue, I fully support her and the peace panel. The Opposition reject this deal because the deal is a landmark deal that Gloria can claim as her perpetual legacy to the peace issue. 

The Opposition says government is entering into the deal with an insincere intention. They say government can't deliver its promise. How do they know? Are these "oppositionists" now claiming to be psychics? I mean, how do they know that government can't deliver? And besides, that's the problem of the MILF right? If government can't deliver its promises, then, government is liable to the MILF and the international community.

Opposition says they reject this deal because it would lead to charter change. I don't believe that. MILF peace panel member Atty. Michael Mastura says that the deal only recognizes the right of the Bangsamoro to have their own state. And even if Gloria do want charter change, I don't think she'll succeed in it because people would definitely oppose any change other than resolving the Bangsamoro question. 

We all need to give peace a chance. Those who want war, like North Cotabato Vice Governor Ed Pinol and the Lobregats of Zamboanga, let them be damned. Peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. is right--if the MILF imposes its rights under the deal in the future, the AFP does'nt have any right to intervene on their behalf. Let the MILF resolve these problems. It's their territory anyway. 

Let me say one thing--we need to consider this deal as a necessary small step towards the ultimate solution to the Bangsamoro question. For after this deal, there's no more we can expect from this but a long debilitating war. And a war at this point, would affect everybody, Filipinos and Bangsamoros.