By CARLOS DAVE B.GARCIA and BRYAN G. VILLASANA
(Article Posted Online: October 14, 2012, 7:46pm)
The projected signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro entity between the Philippine Government (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is expected to turn over a new leaf not only for the Muslims in Mindanao, but for all Filipinos.
Director Fatmawati Salapuddin of the Bureau of Peace and Conflict Resolutions of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos declared he believes that “with this framework, peace is not that far.”
In a phone interview, Salapuddin said that the people just need to understand the framework agreement, claiming that it is only through this process that peace can be achieved.
“We need to wait for the complete details of the agreement before we can analyze if it will be successful,” said Salapuddin.
University of the Philippines-Diliman-Institute of Islamic Studies Dean Professor Julkipli Wadi, echoed Salapuddin’s views in a separate interview. He believed that “in the long-term, the country will have political stability in that part of Mindanao.”
“That’s very important because no nation has developed that fast if it is being threatened by insurgent groups,” he declared.
However, for Faisar Mambuay, a Muslim who has been living for more than five decades in Mindanao, people should still be cautious because this framework might be exploited by other politicians.
“We need to see the sincerity of the leader who will sit after the term of President Benigno S. Aquino III because [this framework] can easily be sabotaged,” claimed Mambuay, who once worked as director in the Department of Agrarian Reforms (DAR) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The problem as Wadi saw it can come during the drafting of the Basic Law in Congress, since he said it is expected that the edited provisions might not be what the GPH and MILF have exactly agreed upon.
“It is a big issue. It’s like you first let the MILF in, only to tell them that they will only get some. Since the MILF has committed already, [there will be no chance to back out], as the agreement has been signed,” added Wadi.
Starting 2016, ARMM will be replaced by the Bangsamoro after the issuance of the Executive Order, and supported by Congressional resolutions.
On May 13 next year, the ARMM elections will be the last in that region.
Mambuay emphasized that the replacement of ARMM by the Bangsamoro “is just a name [because] what’s important is how [everything] will be implemented.”
For Wadi, though, the Basic Law’s implementation by 2016 is “too long” a time from its creation, but for Mambuay, it will really take a long time, since the MILF should first get ready with their governance and the Philippine government should be able to first convince all the people concerned.
“It will undergo a lot of processes, including the consultation of the Filipinos’ opinion. There are people who will oppose due to their biases, but we still have to take an opportunity to know what this peace process is all about,” asserted Mambuay, who is now DAR Director in the Caraga Region.
Before the transition of the ARMM to Bangsamoro, there will be ratification of the Basic Law—and it will definitely not be easy, according to Wadi.
“It will be rough sailing. The problem can come through the so-called ‘tyranny of majority’ because there will only be few Muslims. Even if we say that the candidates come from Mindanao, still, they may not be Muslims,” claimed Wadi.
The Islamic affairs analyst added the possibility that the Basic Law might only replicate what happened to the Moro National Liberation Front founding leader Nur Misuari’s Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) in 1996. The crucial difference, he cited, is that there is a certain degree of transparency in the present peace pact, where agreements to be signed are clearer.
As for Misuari’s opposition, Mambuay cited that the Moro leader only believes that there are still parts of the agreement with MNLF that have not yet been implemented.
“It’s true, but [looking] at the beginning of his term, Misuari was given the opportunity, [which he] wasted. I think this time, he should first observe what the situation will be… As for the small issue of consultation, [I think] Misuari won’t allow that he will not be consulted,” said Mambuay.
Still, he maintained that the current status of Mindanao is peaceful.
“I experienced the chaos and revolution, but now, the situation is calm, with only isolated issues or conflicts. It is important that there will be understanding among all Muslims, non-Muslims and indigenous people,” said Mambuay.
Wadi said he believes that peace will reign in southern Philippines if the MILF will be transformed from being an armed group to a political party.
“If the projection will happen, that will be very dramatic. With the MILF becoming a political party, at least, the major source of insurgency in Mindanao will no longer serve as a threat to the government. There will be strong guarantee that there will be no more skirmishes,” said Wadi.
Mambuay can only hope and pray for peace in the communities, liking the situation to “a long dark tunnel with growing light at the end.”
Wadi expressed hope, as well, saying the peace agreement must be done with good intention and supported by everyone.
“It is high time that these people be given their rightful space,” Wadi said.
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