Philippines, MILF rebels resume peace talks next week

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North Cotabato opposes new homeland deal between Manila and MILF rebels

Government soldiers stop Muslim civilians at an army checkpoint in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 1, 2009) – An influential southern Philippine politician on Saturday vowed to oppose any deal between Manila and Muslim rebels that would dismember the province of North Cotabato.

North Cotabato deputy governor Emmanuel Pinol said the Supreme Court ruled that the consensus points reached by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain violated the Constitution.

“Did the government peace panel take notice of the fear, the rift, the division and the violence that the proposed memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain brought upon the people of the country, especially among us living in the Southern Philippines?, Pinol asked.

The peace talks between Manila and the MILF collapsed in August last year after the High Court’s decision. It also triggered deadly rebel attacks in the provinces of North Cotabato, Sarangani, Lanao and Maguindanao.

North Cotabato is one of several provinces which are included in the proposed expanded Muslim autonomous region that would also include some parts of Zamboanga Peninsula and Palawan.

President Gloria Arroyo halted all military offensives against the MILF to pave the way for the early revival of the stalled peace talks. The MILF also ordered its forces to stop attacks against government and military targets in the restive region.

Government peace negotiators and the MILF also agreed on Wednesday on four issues before the resumption of the talks. In a joint statement, government negotiators headed by Rafael Seguis and the MILF peace panel led by Mohagher Iqbal have agreed to sustain the cease-fire agreement.

The also acknowledged that the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain as unsigned and yet initialed document, and committed to reframe the consensus points with the end in view of moving towards the comprehensive compact to bring about a negotiated political settlement.

Both sides would also work for a framework agreement on the establishment of a mechanism on the protection of non-combatants in armed conflict and another framework agreement on the establishment of International Contact Group which would be composed of states and non-state organizations to accompany and mobilize international support for the peace process.

Pinol said the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain in its entirety is a document that virtually creates an “associative” government that is equivalent to a new State minus the word “sovereignty.”

He said the people of his province after a series of public consultations declared the following: “We desire for true and lasting peace, one that is a product of a consensus among all stakeholders in Mindanao – Muslims, Christians and the Tribes; one that addresses the roots of the problem – poverty, lack of education, deprivation, injustice and massive and unabated corruption in government; one that manifests and reflects the common desire of the people rather than a piece of paper called the “Peace Agreement.”

“We demand total disarmament and the enforcement of the law in dealing with armed groups; we oppose any expansion of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or its equivalent political instrumentality that would include our province; we oppose the idea of creating a virtual independent “associative” state.

Pinol said he has consulted with his legal experts and would ask the Supreme Court to cite the government peace panel in contempt for ignoring its decision declaring the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain unconstitutional.

The politician was one of those who questioned the legality of the ancestral homeland deal before the Supreme Court.

The MILF previously said it would only resume the peace talks if Arroyo honors the Muslim ancestral domain deal that negotiators initially signed in July last year in Kuala Lumpur. The accord would have granted some four million Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines, MILF rebels back on negotiating table again

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Tigil-opensiba, ipinag-utos ng MILF; peace talks bubuhaying muli

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / July 26, 2009) – Pormal ng nag-deklara ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front ng cease-fire laban sa militar at isinusulong na ng pamahalaang Arroyo ang peace talks upang matigil ang karahasan at kaguluhan sa Mindanao.

Ngunit ipinag-utos rin ng MILF sa mga rebelde na ipagtanggol ang kanilang sarili sa anumang hakbang na maaring ilunsad laban sa mga tumutugis na sundalo sa mga tinuguriang “rogue MILF” members.

Sa hanay ng mga rebelde ay wala umanong “rogue MILF,” bagamat iginigiit ng militar at pulisya na pinaghahanap nila sina Commander Ameril Kato, Abdurahman Macapaar at Sulayman Panglian at ang kanilang mga tauhan na itinuturing nasa likod ng madugong raid sa Lanao provinces, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Iligan at iba pang mga lugar sa Mindanao matapos na mabuwag ang peace talks.

Kahapon ay kinumpirma ni Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, na nilagdaan ni Murad Ebrahim, ang pinuno ng rebeldeng grupo, ang isang order na nagpapatigil sa lahat ng opensiba sa magulong rehiyon.

“We are reciprocating the government’s suspension of military operations against the MILF. With these declarations of cease-fire, we can now move on and talk about peace in Mindanao,” ani Iqbal sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Sinabi pa ni Iqbal na ang cease-fire ay mahalaga sa posibleng resumption ng peace talks na nabasura nuong nakaraang taon matapos na mabigo ang pamahalaan at MILF na malagdaan ang Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).

Ang MOA-AD ay inisyal na nilagdaan ng mga peace negotiators nuong Hulyo ng nakaraang taon sa Malaysia, ngunit nabasura naman ito matapos na kuwestyunin ng Zamboanga, Iligan at North Cotabato sa Korte Suprema ang legalidad nito. Sinabi ng Korte Suprema na unconstitutional ang MOA-AD.

Idiniin ng MILF na hindi ito makikipag-usap sa pamahalaang Arroyo maliban kung ipatutupad nito ang MOA-AD. (Mindanao Examiner)

Muslims hold rally in the Philippines, demand Arroyo gov't to honor homeland deal with MILF rebels

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Philippines Supreme Court Junks Muslim Homeland Deal

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 14, 2008) – The Philippines Supreme Court of Tuesday declared as unconstitutional the Muslim homeland deal initially signed by government and rebel peace negotiators.

The decision came out barely two months after the Supreme Court suspended the formal signing August 5 of the territorial deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group is fighting for nearly four decades for the establishment of a separate state in Mindanao.

The Supreme Court voted 8-7 in ruling that the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain with the MILF violated provisions in the Constitution. President Gloria Arroyo quit peace negotiations with the MILF after accusing the rebel group of attacking civilian areas following the aborted signing of the Muslim territorial deal.

The MILF said the peace panels have initially signed the Muslim homeland agreement in July this year in Malaysia, which is brokering the talks and would not renegotiate the agreement.

The rebels said Mrs. Arroyo’s emissaries rushed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain with the MILF so she can include it in her state of the nation address on July 28.

The controversial deal also sparked massive protests from politicians opposed to the agreement that would have granted about four million Muslims their homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao.

Arroyo later scrapped the Muslim homeland deal and abolished the government team negotiating with the MILF and vowed to achieve peace in the restive region through dialogues and consultations with the communities and political leaders.

Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief peace negotiator, said the decision of the Supreme Court further complicated the situation in Mindanao.

“We are not affected by the decision of the Supreme Court. It has no bearing on the MILF. As far as we are concerned the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain is a done deal because the peace panels had already initialed the deal.”

“The problems are now with the Philippine government. The MILF will not negotiate anymore the ancestral domain agreement. The Philippine government violated all peace agreements and the trust of all stakeholders in the Mindanao peace process,” he told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from a rebel base in Mindanao.

Sporadic fighting in recent weeks have killed and wounded many soldiers and rebels and displaced as much as half a million people in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Groups Urge UN, OIC To Intervene In Mindanao Conflict

Citizens and peace advocates appeal to the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to mediate and intervene in the Muslim Mindanao long-aged conflict as they rally in the Islamic City of Marawi.

MANIFESTO CALLING ON THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) AND THE ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE (OIC) TO INTERVENE AND MEDIATE TO END THE WAR IN MINDANAO AND INTERCEDE FOR THE JUST RESOLUTION OF THE BANGSAMORO STRUGGLE FOR THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION.

When, at the dawn of the high-tech, ultra civilized 21st century, the Bangsamoro finds itself still bereft of its inherent rights and freedoms as a distinct sovereign nation, stolen as they were, under cover of "civilizing" democracy by successive colonizers;

When, after many decades of so-called peace negotiations, the Bangsamoro people wakes up to the harsh truth of the abominable situation of sustained betrayal, manipulation, lying, cheating, and killing by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines;

When, today, the Bangsamoro is subjected to another cruel war by a government that abdicated democratic government, declaring the Bangsamoro as its subjects for protection yet waging atrocious war against it, this time, right after the exposure of its base insincerity in consummating the previously agreed upon and approved Memorandum of Agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD), executed by and between the government of the republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF);

When, today, the Bangsamoro cannot find any redeeming justification for the non-existence of genocidal intent in the acts of the government of the republic of the Philippines in 1) taking side with the notorious Ilonggo land grabbers association (Ilaga) and other land usurpers, all of whom have amassed wealth in Bangsamoro territories without consent nor participation of the Bangsamoro, and some of whom also wrested control of local governance and would own the whole of Bangsamoro homeland by systematically dispossessing the Bangsamoro, and 2) unleashing disproportionately massive military forces with heavy land and air artillery for pursuing two commanders of the MILF yet indiscriminately bombing and destroying communities and villages and deliberately sowing fear and terror to the populace resulting to the displacement of thousands and thousands of innocent civilians;

When, today, the acts of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines include the incomparably contemptible authorization and distribution of 13,000 arms to civilians, many recipients of whom are Ilaga adherents who desire above all to drive out the Moro people from their territories thereby exposing all pretensions to equal protection of its peoples by the GRP, as well as the scheme to instigate a genocidal civil war reminiscent of the dictator Marcos policy, to broad daylight;

When, today, despite the valiant resistance of Bangsamoro freedom fighters against an overwhelming war machinery and military operations of a colonial government and despite the perseverance of the great majority of the Bangsamoro to sustain and advance the struggle, the Bangsamoro civil society believes that the only remaining hope for immediate and just resolution of the conflict is in the existence of international organizations and entities sworn to maintain world peace and security by safeguarding human rights and peoples' rights and the promotion of conflict resolution through principled, just and peaceful means;

And when, today, we, the Bangsamoro multi-sectoral members of the civil populace of Lanao resolve to adhere to the hope and trust that these humanitarian organizations, appraised of a gross crime against humanity in our region of the world will come to the aid of the victims of this unjust war, the peace-loving Bangsamoro and Filipino civil populace, alike;

With solemn prayers that this appeal finds its niche in the hearts and minds of all peace-loving citizens and organizations of the humane world, we therefore call on the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Conference to jointly intervene in this Mindanao conflict, to mediate for the cessation of the war and to institute the just resolution of the grievous injustices to the Bangsamoro and their right to self-determination;

We call on the United Nations to investigate and determine the true cause and extent of the war and if the principles and purposes for which the UN exists still operates, to disregard the GRP assertion of the war as an internal affair or that the current imposition of war on the Bangsamoro is legitimate and instead afford protection of all peace-loving Bangsamoro and Filipino civil populace from the scourge of unjust war and especially to uphold and protect the Bangsamoro right to self-determination as guaranteed under UN declaration and international laws.

Issued this 2nd day of October, 2008 during the multi-sectoral Bangsamoro civil populace rally for peace at the Plaza Cabili, Islamic City of Marawi.

MILF Fighting Erupts In Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 22, 2008) – Government forces clashed Monday with suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in the southern Philippines, as troops continue their hunt for 3 rogue commanders blamed for deadly attacks in Mindanao Island, officials said.

The fighting erupted in Poona Piagapo town in Lanao del Norte, but there were no reports of casualties from both sides. But fierce clashes over the weekend left one government militia dead and four more wounded in Maguindanao province.

Officials said MILF forces attacked a government patrol base, sparking a firefight that also left a still undetermined number of rebels dead and wounded. “At least 30 MILF rebels under Kagui Baddy were involved in the attack that killed one of our militias,” Major Armand Rico, a spokesman for the Army’s Eastern Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said security forces were still tracking down rogue rebels headed by Ameril Kato, Abdurahman Macapaar and Sulayman Panglian in Mindanao. The three were tagged as behind the series of attacks last month in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Sarangani provinces that left dozens of civilians dead.

Rebels launched the attacks after the Supreme Court stopped the signing of the territorial deal between Manila and the MILF, which is fighting for a separate homeland in Mindanao, because many of its provisions were unconstitutional.

But the MILF said the peace panels have initially signed the Muslim homeland agreement in July in Malaysia, which is brokering the talks and it would not renegotiate the agreement.

Government peace negotiators and President Gloria Arroyo’s emissaries rushed the signing of the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, so she can include it in her state of the nation address on July 28.

The controversial deal also sparked massive protests from politicians opposed to the agreement that would have granted about four million Muslims their homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao.

Arroyo later scrapped the Muslim homeland deal and abolished the government team negotiating with the MILF and suspended the peace talks and vowed to achieve peace in the restive region through dialogues and consultations with the communities and political leaders.

Arroyo's allies in Congress have earlier proposed to amend the Constitution to change the system of government from presidential to parliamentary or federalism.

But militant groups have repeatedly accused Arroyo of using the peace talks with the MILF to amend the Constitution and eventually prolong her to stay into power.

Under the presidential form of government, Arroyo is allowed only one six-year term. In the charter change proposal suggested by her political allies who dominate Congress, she can be elected as prime minister should Congress dissolve the Senate and change the system of government to parliamentary and eventually prolong her into power beyond 2010.

Arroyo deposed President Joseph Estrada in a people power revolution in 2001, but corruption scandals in her government and allegations of poll fraud in 2004 has made her extremely unpopular.

The MILF blamed Arroyo and hawkish factions in the government for the collapse of the seven-year old peace talks and warned that a bigger war could erupt if the military continues its offensives against the rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)

Are Lumads Left Out In The Quest For Peace In Mindanao?

Lumads, like these ones at a recent feast in Malasag in Cagayan de Oro to celebrate their rich culture, have a key role in the road towards lasting peace in Mindanao. (Photo by Ma. Cecilia Rodriguez)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Philippimne Human Rights Reporting Project / September 18, 2008) – “No one informed us, nobody consulted us.”

Timuay (tribal chieftain) Nanding Mudai was adamant as he explained why his people refused to come out in support of the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) which would have created the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, a sub-state led by the local Muslim community in Mindanao.

The proposed entity would have covered most of the Subanen ancestral domains in Zambonga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and elsewhere in Western Mindanao.

Timuay Nanding’s complaint is not an isolated case. On August 27, more than 200 other tribal leaders representing 18 major ethno-linguistic groupings in Mindanao and Palawan have signed up to a joint declaration opposing the BJE at a tribal gathering here.

But the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) insists there was proper consultation among the indigenous peoples who would have come under the BJE jurisdiction.

In news reports, MILF vice chairperson for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar maintained that consultations went on for two years as part of the process that finally led to the jointly-initialed MOA-AD.

The MOA-AD was effectively scuttled by local political opposition after the Supreme Court in Manila ordered a temporary restraining order on the eve of its scheduled signing in Malaysia on August 5.

Now as the government rethinks its framework in forging peace in Mindanao and the MILF crying foul over what they claim to be an internationally-binding agreement that the government suddenly dumped, the bigger issue for the Lumads now is: will they be granted real recognition, rights and respect in their ancestral land?

Right to self-determination

In their declaration called the ‘Cagayan de Oro Declaration,’ the 200 tribal leaders asserted their rights to their ancestral domain while calling on the MILF leadership to respect an ancient pact between their ancestors.

“We assert that Mindanao is not only inhabited by the Bangsamoro people but also by indigenous peoples and migrant settlers,” they said. “Thus we call for the respect to the right to self-determination of the indigenous peoples, the right to use our traditional governance systems, our ownership of our ancestral domains and our rights to the resources therein.”

“We promote and accord the highest respect to various traditional peace pacts done through D'yandi, Sapa, Tampuda hu Balagun, Pakang and Kandugo/Sandugo between the ancestors of indigenous peoples and of the Bangsamoro peoples,” tribal leaders said. Higaonon tribal chieftain Maticadong Angkong Limikid explained the ancient pact as the unwritten agreement between the Lumad and the Moro on territorial boundaries.

“The pact governed our ancestors on delineation of territories. It also sealed the peaceful coexistence of the Moro and the Lumad through centuries and ensured that no blood will again be spilled between our peoples,” said Limikid in the local dialect.

“It seems that the leadership of the MILF has forgotten our sapa (pact) when they enlisted our ancestral domain in the BJE,” he said.

When asked if the situation could lead to violence, Limikid said: “We are afraid to break this ancient pact because we know that breaking this will lead to further misery to our people.”
Timuay Nanding says the Lumads have always been for peace. “We have peacefully coexisted with our Moro brothers for a long time. There is always a way to dialogue.”
The tribal leaders maintain that the Lumads and the Moros have the same aspiration: self-determination.

In their declaration, the tribal leaders also recognize the right of the Moros to claim their ancestral lands in turn: “The right to self-determination of our Moro brethren is also enshrined in laws and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that we recognize their struggle and efforts to achieve recognition of this right as a legitimate cause and has historical basis.”
But Timuay Nanding sums up the apprehension of the Lumads: in drawing up the BJE, the MILF would encroach in their territories.

Respect and recognition

The word Lumad, which means ‘grown to a place’, is a generic term that refers to members of the 18 major ethno linguistic groupings in Mindanao. The tribes are the Subanen, Manobo, B’laan, Ata, Mandaya, T’boli, Higaonon, Tiruray (Teduray), Mansaka, Bagobo, Bukidnon, Dibabawon, Tagakaolo, Banwaon, Ubo Manobo, Manguwangon, Lambangian and Mamanwa.
Sub-tribes have been formed by tribal intermarriages over the years.

Latest statistics show that the population of indigenous peoples in Mindanao is around 2.5 million, or 5 per cent of the island’s population. This estimate however includes only those who have registered with the authorities. Many Lumad families do not formally register births.

The 1997 Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) or Republic Act 8379 recognizes the inherent right of the indigenous peoples to own and possess ancestral domains, the right to self-governance and self-determination, and the preservation of their culture, traditions and institutions.

These rights are also embodied in United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples (UNDRIP) which specifies that indigenous peoples can “freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development” (Article 3).

No common stand

But, in asserting their right to self-determination, the Lumads face the dilemma of unifying all tribes towards one course of action.

Janette Serrano, commissioner of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for Central Mindanao, said groups representing the IPs have different political persuasions, as reflected on their stand on the MOA-AD and the BJE.

“One group cannot claim it represents the sentiments of the Lumad because there are others who have different beliefs, different points of view,” she said.

Lumads within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), for instance, fully support the scrapped agreement.

In their two-page statement on MOA-AD on August 17 (which MILF chief negotiator Mohaqer Iqbal allegedly received on August 18), members of the Teduray, Lambangian and Dulangan Manobo in Upi, Shariff Kabunsuan said the MOA-AD should be seen as “an opportunity to safeguard interests of the majority against erroneous systems.”

Calling themselves Lumad-ARMM, the tribal leaders also said in their statement that self-determination does not imply separating from the Moros. “Our free choice would help us preserve our self-determination, governance and ancestral domain within the BJE.”

Another Lumad group, the Kusog sa Katawhang Lumad sa Mindanao (Kalumaran), also said they support the Bangsamoro’s call for self-determination and ancestral domains but doubted the motives of the Philippine government in “rushing” the MOA-AD with the MILF.

“The pact affirms and acknowledges the Lumads’ right to self-determination by recognizing Lumad territories under the BJE. But Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the big landlords, big businesses and imperialist power have used the MOA-AD to further their interests,” Kalumaran said.

It also said that the government “took advantage” of the confusion on the MOA-AD to renew offensives against the MILF. The clashes, now in its seventh week, have already displaced more than 500,000 persons in Central and Northern Mindanao.

Victoria Tauli-Corpus, chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNDRIP), called on the tribes at the Mindanao-Palawan indigenous peoples’ consultation to organize themselves.

“Do not let your political affiliations get into the process of shaping you own broad network. The main basis of your unity will be the UNDRIP,” said Corpus.

Serrano said that the challenge to tribal leaders now with regards to the MOA-AD is to overcome political differences and unite on one definite stand.

Pursue peace talks

Despite their criticism on the MOA-AD, the Mindanao-Palawan tribal leaders said they were saddened by its cancellation and called on both the MILF and the government to return to the negotiating table.

“We are not thankful that this [scrapping of MOA-AD] happened. It would have led to peace in Mindanao. What we wanted was to be included in the review and consultation, not to scrap it,” said Limikid.

Norma Capuyan, a Higaonon babaylan (woman leader or priestess) was especially critical of the authorities in Manila.

“This only shows the insincerity of the Arroyo administration,” she said. “They have been talking for years now, and then they drop everything just like that.”

The tribal leaders admitted that the MOA-AD is a tangible expression of the right to self-determination and would have been a first step for the Moro and the indigenous peoples in Mindanao towards peace. What they merely wanted, as their declaration states, was to be included in the process.

Timuay Nanding said it was regretful that the tribal leaders knew the details of the MOA-AD belatedly. “It would have been a very good springboard towards achieving peace,” he said.(Ma. Cecilia L. Rodriguez)

10 Critical Questions for the GRP, MILF and the Media on Future Choices between War and Peace: Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project

1. The initialled Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) was to be formally signed in Malaysia and witnessed by the international community –indicating it was approved and supported by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) at the highest level. Yet Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera reportedly testified to the Supreme Court on Friday that the President had not seen the MOA-AD in "its final form."

This surely suggests political incompetence at the highest level since in theory under international law, it allows Malaysia to force a Constitutional change in the Philippines (to implement the MOA-AD) over something that the government authorized – but not apparently read. What is the GRP response and will it allow a Senate investigation of the whole MOA-AD negation process –or should we wait for the movie?

2. Is the GRP's latest reported decision not to sign now a result of killings and atrocities of civilians allegedly committed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) –or because of concerns with the agreement itself? If the latter, why was it ever initialled and scheduled for signing?

3. The collapse of the MOA-AD process on the eve of its signing and successive confusion has seriously damaged the reputation of the GRP as a reliable negotiator –how can this be repaired?

4. The MOA-AD was the product of four years and eight months of negotiation. Both sides maintain they held full consultations with stakeholders –the GRP through meetings with communities, groups and politicians including those affected by proposed territorial changes – and the MILF likewise and with in particular, the indigenous peoples. Will both sides publish details of those consultations?

5. The GRP is now proposing to focus on a strategy of Demobilization, Disarmament and Rehabilitation (DDR) –but these processes typically take place only within part of an overall agreement or process. If the MOA-AD has been abandoned, what is the government's new plan, if any?

6. The MILF maintains that the initialling of a peace agreement is binding under International Law. At the same time, it refuses to acknowledge that several MILF commanders may have broken international humanitarian law and deliberately targeted civilians, burnt their homes, taken them hostage and killed men, women and children. How can the MILF leadership inspire public confidence that it is a disciplined organization and a prospective partner in peace and will not employ or return to terror tactics if ever frustrated in the future?

7. The MILF states it is not fighting for itself –but on behalf of all the Bangsamoro people. What concrete plans does it have to live up to this promise? Specifically what protection and rights will it afford non-Moro minorities under a future Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE)?

8. The MILF publicly refer to the MOA-AD as a Framework Agreement – that is only the context of a future final and detailed agreement which has yet to be thrashed out, agreed and then put to a public vote. Likewise it has publicly called the BJE concept as a sub-state – not as a state within a state. According to the MILF, the BJE will not issue its own currency; pursue international diplomacy or be responsible for its own defense – the three things that commonly define separatism. Should the media start using these terms and hold the MILF to them in the future to help ensure clarity and avoid misunderstanding and misinterpretation?

9. What role -- if any – can the media play in helping negotiate a way out of this dangerous impasse? Alongside its traditional role of informing, educating and acting as a check and balance – can the media play a role as honest broker and impromptu mediator in getting the sides back together?

10. What practical things can both the GRP and the MILF offer in terms of showing good faith and building public confidence back to where it should be?

And finally, an 11th question might even be: Were the authorized GRP MOA-AD negotiators in fact the governmental equivalents of MILF commanders Kato and Bravo –i.e. political renegades – or is the government itself a political renegade writ large given its handling of the whole affair? (Alan Davis, Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project)

MILF Blames Arroyo For Failed Peace Talks, Territorial Deal In South RP

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 4, 2008) – Philippine Muslim rebels on Thursday blamed Manila for the failed peace negotiations and accused President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on the territorial deal.

Mohagher Iqbal, chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said Arroyo is to blame if fighting resumes in Mindanao. “We have nothing to blame but the Philippine government if war breaks out in Mindanao,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Arroyo on Wednesday dissolved the government panel negotiating peace with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. She earlier scrapped the ancestral domain deal that peace negotiators initially signed in July 27 in Malaysia, which was brokering the talks.

The Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the accord on August 5 after government spokesmen said Arroyo was not informed and unaware about the territorial deal.

The ancestral domain deal would have granted some four million Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao, whose 21 million populations are mostly Christians and indigenous tribes.

But Iqbal said the President knew about the ancestral domain deal long before it was initially signed in Kuala Lumpur because the issue had been tackled many times since last year by the Cluster E.

“The President knew everything about the ancestral domain agreement and other important developments as far as the peace talks were concerned. President Arroyo had been informed about anything that has something to do with the peace process,” Iqbal said.

“They also wanted us to sign the peace agreement, but we declined because there are more important things to talk about as far as the Mindanao problems are concerned.”

“The memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain had been tackled many times since last year with the Cluster E and as a matter of fact they rushed the signing of the ancestral domain deal because President Arroyo wanted it included in her state of the nation address in July 28,” Iqbal said.

Cluster E refers to the cabinet Cluster for Political and Security Affairs that routinely advised Arroyo on national security matters. Its members included the National Security Council, National Defense, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Finance secretaries.

Arroyo, in her state of the nation address, said: “A comprehensive peace has eluded us for half a century. But last night, differences on the tough issue of ancestral domain were resolved. Yes, there are political dynamics among the people of Mindanao. Let us sort them out with the utmost sobriety, patience and restraint. I ask Congress to act on the legislative and political reforms that will lead to a just and lasting peace during our term of office.”

Iqbal said the ancestral domain deal is considered final. “It has been initialed already and the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain deal, as what we have repeatedly said in the past, is a done deal. We will not negotiate anymore what has been already agreed by the peace panels,” he said.

Iqbal said the peace talks are now in "purgatory".

The Malaysian news agency Bernama also quoted Michael Mastura, a member of the MILF peace panel, as saying that the scrapping of the government peace panel has little bearing on the Muslim homeland lead.

“Our position on this is very clear that it's a done deal. Under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, there's a provision which states that status of initialing is as good as signature. But whether they comply with it or not is a different story,” he said.

Mastura said they were still awaiting official notice from the peace talks secretariat in Kuala Lumpur about the scrapping of the government peace panel. “We have expected this and we have our contingency plan. We will deliberate on it,” he said.

The MILF on Wednesday said it would continue with its armed struggle in Mindanao should the peace talks totally collapse.

The government's announcement came two weeks after MILF commanders Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led hundreds of rebels in separate attacks on the provinces in Mindanao. Dozens of people were brutally killed in the raid.

Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001, but since then nothing significant had been signed except for the ancestral domain agreement. But the homeland deal sparked a series of protests from politicians and residents who were opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the agreement that will make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Arroyo has shifted in the basic premise of the government's peace effort after hundreds of rebels under Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led a series of attacks in the provinces in Mindanao that killed dozens of civilians.

Manila also demanded the rebels to lay down their weapons before peace talks can resume. This was rejected by the MILF.

Last year, peace talks were also stalled after Manila reneged on the ancestral domain deal. Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks, has pulled out its truce observers deployed in Mindanao after blaming the Arroyo government of stalling the seven-year old negotiations.

Manila said previously that it would pursue a proposal by Senator Aquilino Pimentel to put up a federal government and divide the Philippines into eleven states.

Pimentel proposed four federal states in Luzon, three in the Visayas and three more in Mindanao.

Arroyo's allies in Congress have earlier proposed to amend the Constitution to change the system of government from presidential to parliamentary or federalism.

But militant groups and political activists have repeatedly accused Arroyo of using the peace talks with the MILF to amend the Constitution and eventually prolong her to stay into power.

Under the presidential form of government, Arroyo is allowed only one six-year term. In the charter change proposal suggested by her political allies who dominate Congress, she can be elected as prime minister should Congress dissolve the Senate and change the system of government to parliamentary and eventually prolong her into power beyond 2010.

Arroyo deposed President Joseph Estrada in a people power revolution in 2001, but corruption scandals in her government and allegations of poll fraud in 2004 has made her extremely unpopular. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF Holds Crucial Meeting To Decide On Fate Of Peace Talks With Unpopular Arroyo Government

Villagers with food sacks prepare to return home Sunday, August 31, from a distribution center in Sarangani province in southern Philippines. The humanitarian organization called World Vision distributed more than 2,000 food packs in the villages of Lumasal, Pananag, Lumatil and Daliao. Rebels attacked the town of Maasim on August 18 and killed two civilians. (Photo by Jun Ramos / Sarangani Information Office)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 31, 2008) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, held a crucial meeting Sunday to discuss the fate of the peace talks with the Arroyo government.

President Gloria Arroyo, who opened peace talks with the rebels in 2001, has already scrapped a territorial deal with the MILF after the Supreme Court stopped its formal signing last month in Malaysia when lawmakers and politicians opposed to the accord filed separate petitions, saying, there were no public consultations.

The peace talks are in danger of collapsing because of the aborted deal and the continued fighting in the southern Philippines between military and rebel forces.

“We are having a meeting right now to assess the peace talks with the Philippine government. The peace talks are now in purgatory,” Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Peace negotiators in July initially signed the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain that would have granted some four million Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao, whose 21 million populations are mostly Christians.

The homeland deal sparked a series of protests from politicians and residents who were opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the agreement that will make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Arroyo has shifted in the basic premise of the government's peace effort after hundreds of rebels under Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led a series of attacks in the provinces in Mindanao that killed dozens of civilians.

Manila demanded the MILF to surrender peacefully the two rogue commanders, now wanted by authorities, to face trial over the killings of civilians in the provinces of North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao where rebel forces brutally killed innocent civilians and pillaged Christian villages.

Rebel forces launched the attacks after the failed signing of the controversial ancestral domain agreement. The MILF said it will not surrender the two rebel commanders and warned Manila that an all-out war could erupt in Mindanao if the peace talks fail and military offensive is not halted.

“This is a long process and the MILF leadership will talk about the future of the peace talks with the Arroyo government,” Iqbal said.

Iqbal also complained that his cell phones have been bugged by the military and that authorities were monitoring his conversations. “My cell phones now have become a tracking device,” he said without elaborating further.

Some journalists covering the strife in the southern Philippines also believed their phones were bugged and that authorities were listening to their interview with rebel leaders.

Last week, Hermogenes Esperon, the presidential peace adviser, said the government will longer sign the ancestral domain deal, although, it will still continue negotiating peace with the rebels.

“We will not sign the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain, but will continue with further negotiations with the MILF to arrive at final peace deal,” he said.

The MILF said it will not anymore revisit or renegotiate the homeland agreement because peace negotiators have already initialed the deal. “It is already a done deal and we have been saying this all the time. We will not revisit or renegotiate the agreement on the ancestral domain,” Eid Kabalu, another senior MILF leader, said.

Kabalu said they are waiting for the government to send them a formal letter saying that the ancestral domain deal has been scrapped. “We are waiting for the formal communication that the ancestral domain deal has been scrapped so we can decide on what steps to take, whether to continue the peace talks or not,” he said.

He said the MILF will not abandon its fight for self-determination. “Our right to self-determination is non-negotiable,” he said.

Last year, peace talks nearly collapsed after Manila reneged on the same deal.

Government peace negotiators and Arroyo's political allies have earlier proposed to amend the Constitution to change the system of government from presidential to parliamentary or federalism to allow the MILF to have a separate state.

Militant groups and political activists have repeatedly accused Arroyo of using the peace talks with the MILF to amend the Constitution and eventually prolong her to stay into power.

Under the presidential form of government, Arroyo is allowed only one six-year term. In the charter change proposal suggested by her political allies who dominate Congress, she can be elected as prime minister should Congress dissolve the Senate and change the system of government to parliamentary and eventually prolong her into power beyond 2010.

Arroyo deposed President Joseph Estrada in a people power revolution in 2001, but corruption scandals in her government and allegations of poll fraud in 2004 has made her extremely unpopular among many Filipinos. (Mindanao Examiner)

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.

Philippines Abandons Homeland Deal With Muslim Rebels

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 29, 2008) – Manila on Friday said it is abandoning the homeland deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, but would still pursue peace talks with the Philippine’s largest Muslim rebel group, officials said.

Government and rebel peace negotiators last month have initially signed the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain. But the Supreme Court stopped the signing of the deal after some lawmakers and politicians opposed to the accord filed separate petitions, saying, there were no public consultations.

The accord would have granted Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao, but the deal also sparked a series of protests from politicians and residents opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the agreement that will make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

President Gloria Arroyo, who opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001, has shifted in the basic premise of the government's peace effort after hundreds of rebels under Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led a series of attacks in the provinces in Mindanao that killed dozens of civilians.

“The focus of our talks shall shift from the armed groups to the communities. The parameters governing our negotiations shall be a balance between the constitutionality and public sentiment,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo said the change in the government's approach to end the Mindanao conflict was prompted by the atrocities committed by the MILF attacks.

Hermogenes Esperon, the presidential peace adviser, said the government will longer sign the ancestral domain deal. “We will not sign the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain, but will continue with further negotiations with the MILF to arrive at final peace deal,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Esperon earlier said the ancestral domain deal is not self-executing and that there is a need for future discussions as peace negotiators frame the comprehensive peace agreement.

The MILF said it will not anymore negotiate the ancestral domain agreement because peace negotiators have already initialed the deal.

“It is already a done deal and we have been saying this all the time. We will not revisit or renegotiate the agreement on the ancestral domain,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.

Kabalu said the MILF leadership will have to decide what steps to take after Manila abandoned the Muslim homeland deal. “It is really unfortunate that the Philippine government again reneged on the ancestral domain deal which is the product of long and arduous work of the peace negotiators,” he said.

He said the MILF will not abandon its fight for self-determination. “Our right to self-determination is non-negotiable,” he said. Last year, peace talks also stalled after government negotiators approved the Muslim homeland deal only to reneged it later.

Esperon said granting of independence is not and never was the intent of peace talks. He said it was the same position made by President Gloria Arroyo in her May 6 letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi when the government peace panel and MILF were discussing the peace process.

Government peace negotiators and Arroyo's political allies have earlier proposed to amend the Constitution to change the system of government from presidential to parliamentary or federalism to allow the MILF to have a separate state.

Militant groups and political activists have repeatedly accused Arroyo of using the peace talks with the MILF to amend the Constitution and eventually prolong her to stay into power.

Under the presidential form of government, Arroyo is allowed only one six-year term. In the charter change proposal suggested by her political allies who dominate Congress, she can be elected as prime minister should Congress dissolve the Senate and change the system of government to parliamentary and eventually prolong her into power beyond 2010.

Arroyo deposed President Joseph Estrada in a people power revolution in 2001, but corruption scandals in her government and allegations of poll fraud in 2004 has made her extremely unpopular among many Filipinos.

Manila’s announcement coincided with fresh government assaults on suspected rebel strongholds in Maguindanao and Lanao del Norte provinces, where security forces are pursuing the groups of Kato and Macapaar.

Kabalu said military forces fired cannons and rockets and bombed MILF targets in the provinces in the guise of pursuing the two rogue rebel leaders. “They are attacking us and MILF forces have been ordered to defend themselves,” he said.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the assaults targeted rogue rebels. “This is a punitive action against rogue MILF members and this operation will continue until Kato and Macapaar are captured,” he said.

Manila demanded the MILF to surrender peacefully the two rogue commanders, now wanted by authorities, to face trial over the killings of civilians in the provinces of North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao where rebel forces pillaged villages. Rebels launched the attacks after the aborted signing of the controversial ancestral domain agreement.

The influential Organization of the Islamic Conference condemned the rebel attacks. (Mindanao Examiner)

World Forum For Democratization In Asia Issues Statement On Mindanao Peace Process

Never give up on peace!

The Mindanao conflict has reached another crossroads in its long history.

After years of difficult negotiations, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) reached a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), which was intended to be a major breakthrough in the peace process.

However, the document raised both serious concerns as well as high expectations among various communities in Mindanao and Sulu, as well as the nation at large. The abortive signing, following the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court, then triggered local conflicts in two areas of Central Mindanao, raising tensions across the region.

In response, the World Forum for Democratization in Asia (WFDA) and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC- SEA) sent a Solidarity Mission to Mindanao from August 24-28. Consisting of 11 international and 8 Filipino members, the mission met a wide variety of stakeholders in two regions. One team visited Central Mindanao, and the second Western Mindanao and Sulu.

As civil society organizations, we approached this mission based on two fundamental principles. First, we affirm all human rights for all peoples in Mindanao and Sulu, notably the right to self-determination of the Bangsamoro people as well as that of the indigenous peoples. Second, we reject all forms of violence, and insist on non-violent and democratic solutions to political conflict, as in the words of Nobel Peace Laureate and Burmese democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi: "It is no longer acceptable to resolve political disputes through the use of force."
The following are our initial findings and recommendations:

The specter of war hangs over Mindanao once again. Active hostilities have reignited in two areas in the heartland of the conflict, while most of the island, as well as the Sulu Archipelago, are still in a state of relative calm (despite ongoing military operations in Sulu, which sadly have become a part of life for the people there). However, tensions are rising, and the danger of expansion of the conflict is significant. Therefore, we call for urgent measures to contain the conflict, to prevent its spread or its transformation into a communal conflict. Among these, we may cite:

The extension of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), which has performed well up to the present crisis, and which even now is maintaining the ceasefire in most of its coverage area. Both the GRP and MILF should move immediately to invite the IMT to continue its work, rather than pulling out on August 31. Moreover, the IMT should if anything be strengthened in mandate and resources. For example, the IMT could play a key role in supervising an investigation into the recent outbreak of fighting in Central Mindanao.

Likewise, the Joint Coordination Committee for the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH) should also be maintained and strengthened. It is notable that the ceasefire continues to hold between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and 14 of 17 MILF base commands, and the JCCCH is maintaining useful channels of communication between the two sides.

All combatants must adhere strictly to international humanitarian law (IHL). Both the MILF and AFP must implement effective enforcement measures, in order to ensure that impunity will not be allowed for any of their officers who violate IHL.

We view with extreme concern the arming of civilians, which is under way in at least some areas. Untrained and poorly organized civilians cannot meaningfully contribute to genuine security, but will only raise the risks of escalation of conflict. The duty to protect the populace lies with state institutions such as the AFP and the Philippines National Police (PNP).

Therefore, we call on the national government and local governments to cease as well as to publicly discourage any such arming. In this regard, we welcome the assurance of North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Pinol on August 27, reiterated publicly the same day, that he will not condone or allow any attacks by Christian vigilantes (ilaga) against Muslim civilians. At the same time, overt calls to "defend yourselves" muddle this otherwise positive message.
The debate over the MOA-AD has revealed the unacceptable and dangerous levels of prejudice and discrimination against the Moro people and the religion of Islam. This demonstrates the need for sensitive, nuanced, and culturally aware communication to deepen mutual understanding and also to recognize legitimate needs and rights.

Public figures, notably political leaders, must be much more restrained in their language, especially the use of inflammatory comments like "all-out war." Likewise, we call on all media, both national and international, to practice responsible journalism. We encourage media to accept their social responsibility as a crucial part of whole nation and important player in the democratization process. In a conflict situation, careless or sensational reporting can be a matter of life and death – editorial decisions cannot be made based on purely commercial considerations. We note with concern credible reports that images from previous periods of conflict have sometimes been used in coverage of the recent events.

With regard to the MOA- AD, there is clearly an urgent need for much more intensive consultations among all the affected communities. These consultations should not only explain the content of the MOA- AD, but also its historical context, and its implications for ordinary people's lives.

Finally, we are encouraged by the many civil society initiatives that are aimed at strengthening trust and understanding between all communities. Many of the civil society organizations that we visited are making heroic efforts to respond to the current crisis. We may specifically cite the initiative led by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society to translate and popularize the MOA- AD at the grassroots, the "Ginapaladtaka" group of barangays working to maintain communal harmony, and the leading role played by women in Sulu in promoting peace education and indigenous solutions to conflict resolution.

In conclusion, we reaffirm our solidarity with the all the peoples of Mindanao and Sulu, Christian Muslim, and Lumad. In particular, we are inspired by courage of the victims of the conflict, the women, children, and powerless members of society who, in the face of so many difficulties, have not given up the hope for peace. In their honor, we will continue to work together with our dedicated partners in the Philippines and around the region for genuine and sustainable peace, democracy, and human rights.

MNLF Urges President Arroyo To Pursue Peace Talks With Muslim Rebels In Mindanao

A female member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front relaxes at a rebel base in Basilan island in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 27, 2008) – The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), once the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group which a signed a peace deal with Manila, urged President Gloria Arroyo Wednesday to pursue the government’s peace process in Mindanao.

Muslimin Sema, the MNLF chairman, urged Arroyo to resume the stalled peace talks with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels to end weeks of sporadic fighting that had killed more than 100 people in Mindanao.

“We urge President Arroyo and the MILF to resume the peace talks and put an end to the fighting in Mindanao,” Sema, also the mayor of Cotabato City, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Rebels led by Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar launched a series of attacks after the failed signing of the controversial memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain between the MILF and the Arroyo peace negotiators.

On Tuesday, security forces recovered bomb ingredients from a captured MILF encampment in Tukanalipao village in Maguindanao’s Mamasapano town, said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

Ando said troops recovered four bags of nitrates and gunpowder, including C4 explosives and four anti-tank rockets, nine rifle grenades and an alarm clock. “With all these bomb-making materials, the rebels may be planning a series of attacks probably in civilian areas to divert the military’s attention away from Kato and Macapaar. We should stay vigilant,” he said.

Manila demanded the MILF to surrender peacefully the two rogue commanders, now wanted by authorities, to face trial over the killings of civilians in the provinces of North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao where rebel forces pillaged villages.

The accord would have granted Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao, but the deal sparked a series of protests from politicians and residents opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the agreement that will make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

The Supreme Court stopped the signing of the deal after some lawmakers and politicians opposed to the accord filed separate petitions, saying, there were no public consultations.

Arroyo has bared a shift in the basic premise of the government's peace efforts from talking with the armed groups to holding discussions with the communities in the conflict areas.

“The focus of our talks shall shift from the armed groups to the communities. The parameters governing our negotiations shall be a balance between the constitutionality and public sentiment,” she said, adding the government must maintain a peaceful and orderly society.

Arroyo said the change in the government's approach to end the Mindanao conflict prompted by the atrocities committed by the MILF attacks in Mindanao.

Hermogenes Esperon, Arroyo’s peace adviser, said despite the attacks, the government will still pursue the peace talks with the MILF. “In spite of all that is happening (in Mindanao), we remain focused on our goals and that is to achieve lasting peace in Mindanao,” he said.

Esperon also said the ancestral domain deal is not self-executing and that that there is a need for future discussions as peace negotiators frame the comprehensive peace agreement. “The MOA (memorandum of agreement) on the ancestral domain should not be viewed as an end in itself, but rather a tool to reinforce agreement on the principles, and a roadmap for greater self-governance of the Bangsamoro people,” he said.

Esperon said there is need to amend the Constitution to allow referendum on areas under the ancestral domain.

Peace negotiators last month also signed an agreement in Kuala Lumpur that will empower the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity to build, develop and maintain its own institutions, inclusive of civil service, electoral, financial and banking, education, legislation, legal, economic, police and internal security force, judicial system and correctional institutions necessary for developing a progressive Muslim society.

Murad Ebrahim, the MILF chieftain, said they will not anymore negotiate the ancestral domain deal, saying, peace negotiators have already initialed the accord last month in Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks.

Ebrahim also said the MILF will not surrender Kato and Macapaar, saying, the two are being investigated for their role in the deadly attacks.

Sema said he would propose to the MILF and the Arroyo government to let the ad-hoc joint action group to handle the investigations and charges against Kato and Macapaar.

The MILF forged an agreement with Manila in 2004 that created the ad-hoc joint action group which paved the way for rebel and government forces to hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in Mindanao.

In the past, the MILF, through the ad-hoc joint action group, has provided Manila of a list of suspected Filipino and Indonesian terrorists operating in Mindanao. It also previously helped Philippine authorities track down and arrest kidnappers and suspected Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in the troubled region.

But with the MILF’s refusal to surrender Kato and Macapaar to government authorities, the ad-hoc joint action group may fail to get hold of the two rebel commanders. Manila has already offered up to P10 million for the capture of Kato and Macapaar.

The MNLF appealed to lawmakers and politicians in Mindanao to support the peace process and not to inflame the already tensed situation by issuing statements that could provoke divisiveness or an all-out war between rebels and soldiers.

“We appeal to lawmakers and politicians to help sustain the peace process and not douse the flame of hope and peace in Mindanao. Our people are suffering from the war in Mindanao. We all want peace,” Sema said.

Sema said his group, which signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, is supporting the seven-year old peace talks between the MILF and the government.

“We cannot afford to be divided in the peace process because it will also divide our people. We are now pursuing on how the MNLF and the MILF can work together for peace in Mindanao,” he said.

The MILF, then under Salamat Hashim, broke away with the MNLF in 1977 and fought the government for the establishment of a separate Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines. Hashim died of a heart attack in 2003 and Ebrahim, then the MILF military chief, had been appointed to take over as the new chieftain of the rebel group.

(Mindanao Examiner)

A Firm Statement Of Patriotism to Adhere To The MOA-AD: MILF Chief Murad Ebrahim

Honoring our Written Agreements

It behooves upon the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) to keep on track the status of the peace process. None of us think the MOA-AD will end the life of the country. But it lets the Bangsamoro people feel a sense of purpose with new “associative ties” to the rest of the Philippines, redefining the relationships between the Filipino people and Bangsamoro people.

I believe that tracking our footprints on the negotiation path can help us tread peacefully using the MOA-AD as a great motivation on the way forward. After 4 years and 8 months of Exploratory Talks, the MILF wants to keep going and see if we can leave behind the imprints of past Moro wars, end the armed conflicts of recent decades and so deal with the Comprehensive Compact.

The Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) is an abstract idea that is hard for ordinary people to connect to. It’s good to build public confidence around this conceptual framework at basic level, with a written instrument, for the peaceful negotiated settlement of age-old “Moro Problem” and armed conflict in Mindanao.

As a revolutionary movement, the MILF takes the controversy over the release of the contents of the MOA-AD a call to redefine patriotism. What defines us as patriots of our historic Bangsamoro homeland is a positive force in the country today.

What we, mujahideens, fight for now find open articulation in the MOA-AD: Our political sentiments and collective actions to pursue the right “to determine our own future political status free from imposition”.

This Memorandum of Agreement has the ingredients of an “elegant formula” fulfilling one of the objects of negotiation to put an idea before the public. It does on paper equations of “trade-offs” instead of “sell-out”.

More importantly, it is a firm statement of patriotism on behalf of all the Bangsamoros who claim it a birthright right to assert their distinct identity. It makes a plausible public expression of what political moderates and peace advocates demand in common as well as human right activists march about in mass.

Let us not forget, too, our comrades-in-arms in the liberation movements who have been aspiring for what they progressively desire to accomplish a long time. Today we find one voice one sentiment in our long struggle for self determination and freedom.

To track the GRP-MILF negotiation path, the aborted signing in the Malaysian capital is confirmation to wary investors and multi-donor countries on the incapability of the GRP of living up to its commitments and honoring its agreements. Certainly no rhetoric of anti-Moro and anti-Muslim sentiments opposed to the MOA-AD can distort the bias of diplomacy towards settling the essence of the Bangsamoro problem with third party facilitation.

For the sake of the primacy of the peace process, I want to caution people in the media to desist from fueling years of vengeful arrogance. Through opinion-editorials and spins in news coverage, your diatribe alienates many others—more than our revolutionary forces.

For the sake of evoking public response, the domestic scrutiny of the MOA-AD before the Supreme Court has gone the way of media intrusion for full disclosure. The trouble is that it can be more injurious to the GRP negotiator’s credibility rather than the MILF side, for it makes consensus and agreement very hard to achieve.

Attempts to stop the signing of the agreed text of the MOA-AD through a petition for temporary restraining order are other forms of suppression of Bangsamoros parallel to domestic political decisions. Of what peaceable benefit is derived from the foreclosure of the negotiability of matters where the MILF does not contest it by arms? This may affect only the reputation for discretion of Government negotiators in subsequent stages for the details of how the Comprehensive Compact, if reached, is to be revealed.

All things considered, the negotiation of the MOA-AD is a done deal in accordance with modern treaty law practice. As such, for the MILF side, there is none to agree to any further as framework agreement except to honor the terms and stipulations in good faith. In as much as the MOA-AD was duly initialed by representatives of the Parties thereto afterward they exchanged copies. The original initialed copy of the agreed text in the English language together with maps annexed thereto as of 27 July 2008 was deposited with the Malaysian Secretariat.

The initialing took place in Kuala Lumpur to jibe with the formal signing ceremony dated 5 August 2008: on the part of the GRP negotiating panel chairman Rodolfo Garcia, and for the MILF negotiating panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal. Likewise, the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon affixed his initial on the agreed text. The Malaysian facilitator Datuk Othman bin Abd Razak properly initialed as witness the copy of agreed text.

On a personal note, we do commend both the MILF and the Government negotiating panels and all those who took part in this great endeavor.

Camp Darapanan
Al Haj Murad Ebrahim
MILF Chairman

MILF Peace Talks Breaking Apart, Fighting Continues In Southern Philippines

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 23, 2008) – Hope of resuming the peace talks between the Arroyo government and the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, remains dim as fierce fighting continued Saturday in Mindanao.

The Philippine military said at least 100 rebels were killed since early this week in the skirmishes in central Mindanao. But the MILF disputed the military report, saying, only 7 rebels died in the fighting.

“As far as the military is concerned, we have reports to prove that more than rebels were killed in the fighting,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.

“It trash, that’s military propaganda and only seven of our members were killed, but we can say that dozens of government soldiers perished in the fighting,” Eid Kabalu, a senior rebel leader, said by phone from his base in Mindanao.

He said fighting between rebel and military forces were raging in the towns of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Piang, all in Maguindanao province.

Ando said three soldiers were killed and 23 more wounded in the battles since Monday. He said there is an ongoing military offensive aimed at capturing two notorious MILF commanders Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar.

“We have done our best to embrace peace, but the MILF started the hostilities by pillaging villages and murdering innocent civilians in Mindanao. We are now implementing the full force of the law and we will arrest those responsible for the traitorous attacks against civilians,” Ando said.

The two rogue commanders led a series of attacks recently in the provinces that killed dozens of people, mostly civilians, but the MILF claimed most of those were militias fighting the rebels.

Former army chief Romeo Tolentino, now a senior member of the National Security Council, also criticized leftist human rights organizations and the Communist Party of the Philippines, including the National Democratic Front, which had previously accused soldiers of human rights violations in Mindanao.

“All these groups, which have been so noisy in the past about human rights issues suddenly, are silent about the atrocities committed by the MILF rebels.

This clearly shows that these organizations are also terrorists which have no respect for human lives, security and welfare of the people,” he said.

The Amnesty International also accused the MILF of human rights violations.
“MILF units that targeted villages have engaged in serious violations of international law and should be held to account,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.

Over 160,000 people were displaced by the fighting that broke out this week in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat. The number of war refugees is increasing as the exodus of civilians continues in Maguindanao and other neighboring areas.

Because of the hostilities, some politicians had urged villagers to arm and defend themselves from rebel attacks. Armed militias were also deployed to guard their communities against further atrocities.

Zarifi said the deployment civilian militias can set off a chain of reprisals.

“Experience from around the world shows that the deployment of civilian militias can set off a chain of reprisals and only increases the danger facing civilians.”

“All sides to this conflict should step back from the brink and demonstrate their commitment to avoid harming civilians. The MILF must control its forces, and the Philippine government should take responsibility for the security of all peoples in the Philippines, regardless of religion or ethnicity,” he said.

The rebels launched attacks after the aborted signing of the Muslim homeland deal between the MILF and Manila. The accord would have granted Muslims their own separate state in more than 700 villages across Mindanao, but it also sparked a series of protests from mostly Christian politicians and residents opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

The Supreme Court stopped the signing of the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain after some lawmakers and politicians filed separate petitions asking the government to bare the rest of the deal with the MILF.

Manila also demanded the MILF to peacefully surrender Kato and Macapaar.

But the secluded chieftain of the MILF, Murad Ebrahim, said they will not surrender the two rogue commanders and warned that an all-war is inevitable if the peace talks with Manila fail.

“We cannot subject our members to the laws of the government,” Murad said, insisting that the MILF is a revolutionary organization.

Murad said government forces have indiscriminately attacked Muslim areas while pursuing the groups of Kato and Macapaar. Both MILF leaders and dozens of their followers had been charged in court in connection with the attacks in Mindanao.

Mohagher Iqbal, the chief MILF peace negotiator, also said that war could break out in Mindanao if fighting does not stop. “This is grim scenario and I don’t even want to think about it, but if the peace talks collapse then there will be war again in Mindanao,” he said in a separate phone interview.

Iqbal blamed hawkish faction in the Arroyo government and Christian politicians opposed to the Muslim homeland to the fighting in Mindanao. “The voice of reason is dwarfed by the voice of hatred and prejudice. The peace talks are slowly breaking apart and if this continues, may God help us all,” he said.

Iqbal said the MILF will not any more negotiate the Muslim homeland deal with the Manila. “The ancestral domain agreement is a done deal because we have already initialed the accord during our meeting in Malaysia last month,” he said.

Malaysia, a member of the influential Organization of Islamic Conference, is brokering the peace talks between the Philippines and the MILF. But Kuala Lumpur already withdrew most of its truce observers deployed in Mindanao after accusing Manila of stalling the peace talks. (Mindanao Examiner)