Saturday, August 30, 2008

President Arroyo Blamed For Bungled Deal With MILF Rebels

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 30, 2008) - Philippine opposition on Saturday blamed President Gloria Arroyo for the bungled homeland deal with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

“President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo must answer for the mess created by this 'memorandum of disagreement.' Her lack of transparency, her unwillingness to do broad consultation with all stakeholders and failure to deal with Moros in good faith are the root causes of the tension and war now plaguing Mindanao,” Adel Tamano, a spokesman for the United Opposition (UNO), said in Zamboanga City.

Tamano said he will speak with law students of the state-run Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) here later today.

“I have decided to come to Zamboanga City to attend a function at the Western Mindanao State University despite threats to my person due to my opposition to the MOA-AD,” Tamano said.

Tamano revealed that he has been receiving a number of death threats apparently for his opposition to the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) that the government peace panel was supposed to have forged with the MILF.

Tamano said the way forward for Mindanao is not separation of Muslim and Christians, but rather through inter-faith dialogue and integration with justice.

“It is an advocacy squarely at odds with the MOA. While the MOA sees to create a separate state for Moros, I cannot help but ask why is it that in other progressive countries, peoples of different creeds, religion and races can come together as one nation yet GMA's (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) administration answer to the peace problem is to separate Muslims and Christian Filipinos by creating a separate state called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE),” Tamano said.

1 comment:

noel said...

yes, i agree with atty. adel tamano that it is thru inter-faith dialogue that we can attain peace in mindanao. we must strengthen our religious approaches and incorporate socio-economic programs and support so when blended with enthusiasm will create a momentum of change. development can be attained if sustained the synchronized momentum.