Saturday, August 09, 2008 Editorials: MILF offensive in North Cotabato
REPORTS that elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) occupied Christian villages in North Cotabato is bad p.r. for the rebel group, whose image is already reeling from negative perceptions of its character.
That this happened after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order that prevented the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the government and MILF made it even worse.
It is difficult to ascertain which of the claims on the incident are true, especially on the nature of the offensive (destruction of farms, cattle rustling, etc. ).
But Interior and Local government Secretary Ronaldo Puno and MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar did confirm the MILF occupation of North Cotabato villages, resulting in the evacuation of residents.
Biases
The MILF offensive proves that the success of the MOA and its being able to effect lasting peace in Mindanao is dependent on the capacity of government officials and MILF leaders to rein in their people.
An agreement, no matter how well-crafted it might be on paper, will always be subject to the complex situation out there on the ground, including the age-old prejudices Christians and Muslims have on each other.
This should be attended to because the MOA proposes to expand the areas encompassed by the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to include villages with bigger Christian population.
Suspicions
The MILF attack only increases the anxiety of Christians in areas to be covered by the proposed ARMM replacement called the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) especially because of a provision in the MOA on an internal security force.
With reports of abuses committed by MILF forces in the North Cotabato attack, and this even before the BJE is in place, what can Christians expect in an administrative entity dominated by MILF types?
A peace agreement can only work if both sides show not only the openness to talk but also sincerity in their subsequent actions.
What the MILF did in North Cotabato only increases people’s suspicions of its intention in talking peace with the government.
