THE Philippine Supreme Court blocked Monday the signing of a preliminary accord granting minority Muslims an expanded homeland as part of a deal to end decades of an Islamic insurgency in Mindanao.
The accord between the Philippine government and the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) identifying area to be included in an enlarged autonomous Muslim region was supposed to be signed Tuesday in Malaysia, which has been brokering the negotiations.
Court spokesman Midas Marquez said Monday the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) after politicians led by North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol objected to the deal because the government failed to publicly disclose its contents.
"The court has decided to issue a TRO to refrain respondents from signing the MOA," Marquez said.
The Supreme Court set oral arguments on the matter on August 15 at 9 a.m. and ordered the Office of the Solicitor General to submit a copy of the draft memorandum of agreement to the High Court "not later than August 8."
This as residents of Iligan and Zamboanga cities led by their local government officials trooped to the streets to protest the deal between the Philippine government and the MILF.
The rallies, however, had signs of religious bigotry -- one placard carried by a rallyist in Iligan City reads "One God, One Country."
Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz said Iligan residents felt "deceived and betrayed" for the failure of the GRP-MILF peace panel to inform them that eight barangays in their city are being included in the expanded Moro territory called the "Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE)."
The eight barangays, which included the villages of Digkilaan, Hindang, Rogongon, Panoroganan, Lanipao, Dulag, and Mainit, covered 65,500 hectares or 82 percent of the total land area of Iligan city.
In Zamboanga City, Mayor Celso Lobregat also led about 3,000 people in Monday's protest outside City Hall.
Many shops in Zamboanga City, which has been a frequent target of bomb attacks blamed on Muslim militants, closed for the day.
The protesters held placards reading, "Gloria, Don't Sell Us," appealing to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo not to allow the signing of the MOA on ancestral domain.
Lobregat and his allies paid full-page advertisements in Zamboanga newspapers stating their opposition in any enlarged Muslim region.
The family of Lobregat owned vast tracts of coconut land in the town of Balabagan, Lanao del Sur, which is covered by the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (Armm).
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon Jr. belied the accusations of mayors Cruz and Lobregat that they were not consulted by the GRP-MILF peace panels.
Esperon further said a plebiscite will still be held to decide the inclusion of the 712 barangays in the expanded Armm. He said this will serve as "the highest form of consultation" for the inclusion of additional barangays in the BJE.
MILF
The MILF, estimated to have 11,000 fighters, considers Tuesday's signing of the ancestral domain deal as "the most significant and historic event that ever happened in the annals of the 11-year old peace talks with the government."
According to their website, www.luwaran.com, the MILF has sent some 50 persons including its peace panel, secretariat, technical committee, and representatives of its nominated non-government organizations (NGOs) to the formal signing ceremony of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) Tuesday in Putrajaya, Selangor, Malaysia on August 25.
"The MILF views this signing ceremony as at par with the signing of the Tripoli Agreement of 2001 in Tripoli, Libya," the website said referring to the peace pact agreement signed by the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
It said Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, will head the delegation.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and Secretary Norberto Gonzales led the government delegation.
The government also invited MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari, Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan and his son, Regional Governor Zaldy Ampatuan.
Mayor Lobregat and Vice Governor Piñol were also invited but they have declined the invitation, reports said. (Richel Umel/Sunnex/With AP)
