Wednesday, August 06, 2008 Aguilar: Treason? By George Aguilar Rational animal
THE government may be committing an act of treason against the Filipino people when and if it goes ahead with the signing of a MOA that gives the MILF full authority to more than 700 barangays in Mindanao at KL (Kuala Lumpur) this week.
No less than Fr. Eliseo Mercado, a former member of the GRP panel, said that the signing of the MOA would grant the MILF the "status of belligerency" and could open the door for a declaration of independence. The opposition also warned that Section 3 on Concepts and Principles of the controversial MOA states that "ancestral domain does not form part of the Philippines' public domain." What does this mean? It means that the territories given to the MILF will no longer be part of Philippine territory. You have to give it to the MILF; they get to have their state without firing too many bullets. With the MOA, GMA will effectively cede part of the territory of the Philippines to another entity. This will also pave the way for the amending of the Philippine constitution which may be the goal of GMA after all. Critics say that the constitution prohibits the giving up of any part of our country to any group. They also say that the Arroyo government wants to amend the constitution so GMA can stay in power after 2010 by converting the existing structures with a parliamentary system.
I personally support any rally against the signing of the MOA. I mean how would you feel if you wake up one day to find that Bacolod City has been ceded to the Chinese or the Koreans? Indeed perhaps it already has. Critics of the MOA decry the insensitivity of the Arroyo government. They've complained that they were not consulted. Because of the lack of consultations and participation in the peace process, even some prominent Muslim leaders have rallied against the signing of the MOA.
The traditional leaders of Muslim society in Mindanao, the Tausugs in particular, are wary of the MOA that would give their territories to the MILF. The Sultan of Sulu, Esmail Kiram, whose brother the Rajamuda I happen to personally know, was disgusted over the government's proposal to offer the areas which have been part of the ancestral domain of Sultanate of Sulu, to the MILF without prior consultation. Kiam: "Ano ba talaga ang aim ng Philippine government, papag-awayin ang mga Muslim at Kristyano dito sa Mindanao? This I'm afraid will be the outcome of this hasty peace agreement. I've written in recent essays that war will come about because of the mishandling of peace.
For one, the government has failed to consult and allow the participation of all the stakeholders not just in Mindanao but in the whole country. Even the indigenous people of Mindanao are set to lose their territories and living space by the signing of the declaration. The concept is simple. You don't turn over your neighbour's house to another person even if you do own the land. Second, the government doesn't own the territories that their ceding to the MILF, the Filipino people do. So how can the government just give away those lands without prior consultations? Third, the constitution is the final word in any undertaking of national significance. How can the Arroyo government turn a blind eye on the Philippine Constitution?
Oh, I forgot, the Arroyo government has never respected the constitution in the first place. This may be the root of the brewing problem in Mindanao.
