Saturday, August 09, 2008 A chop-chop RP: Drilon warns
A “chop-chop” republic, thus warned former Senate president Franklin Drilon yesterday on the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on ancestral domain.
Drilon, who is national chair of the Liberal Party (LP), said the MOA grossly violated the constitution.
Drilon was in Cebu City yesterday for the opening of the trade exposition “One Cebu” or the Obra-Negosyo Expo-Cebu Economic Enterprise Uplifting program at the Cebu International Convention Center.
“It (agreement) violates our territorial integrity. It violates our Constitution. It exposes (President) Gloria Arroyo to impeachment (complaint). This agreement is a gross violation of the Constitution,” Drilon told reporters.
Dismemberment
Drilon said the agreement is “completely out of line” since the creation of the Bangsamoro homeland, a proposed group of citizens who will have its own people, territory and form of government, will only cause “dismemberment” of the country as it aims at creating another state within the government.
Drilon echoed the call of his party-mate, LP President Sen. Mar Roxas, in urging the Malacañang to have presidential peace process adviser, former military chief Hermogenes Esperon, replaced in the government panel in the Mindanao peace talks.
“We support the popular call to replace Esperon. It’s unfortunate, but the former general has lost credibility to further pursue peace in Mindanao,” said Drilon.
The truth is, Drilon said, the provision contained in the controversial agreement would grant the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE), an international recognition as a separate and independent state.
Independence
Drilon said the mere “execution action” to implement certain provision in the agreement without having constitutional amendments makes BJE a separate state and
independent state
Citing a condition in the BJE, the former lawmaker said certain provision in the agreement states that Bangsamoro could send trade mission abroad and enter into economic agreements with sovereign nations.
“It (agreement) does not need constitutional amendments. It’s a matter of policy and precisely these are the instances when we assert that the MOA is one step closer to granting belligerency status to BJE,” he said.
The Supreme Court recently stopped the scheduled signing of an agreement on ancestral domain between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In an en banc session, the court’s 15 justices voted unanimously to grant the petition for a temporary restraining order (TRO) filed by the Provincial Government of North Cotabato.
But Esperon had denied accusations that the government was giving away territory to Muslim rebels.
Difficulty
Drilon rapped Esperon for having difficulty in shifting from being a soldier and Armed Forces Chief of Staff to a peace negotiator.
“He probably (Esperon) finds difficulty in realizing that achieving peace is not the same as countering insurgency,” said Drilon.
“Achieving peace is through negotiation is completely different from countering insurgency operation.”
Drilon also asked the Supreme Court to strike down the agreement for gross violation of the law.
“You cannot divide sovereignty, which MOA provides for when it allows BJE to exercise shared authority and responsibility with the Philippine Government over the Bansamoro homeland,” he said. (GMD)
