Thursday, August 07, 2008 2 councilors welcome suspension of land deal By Grace L. Plata
WHILE a Muslim group said the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain is a setback on the peace process, City Councilors Danilo Dayanghirang and Karlo Bello welcomed the high court's decision on the matter.
"It is good because we don't need to rush," Dayanghirang said in a text message Wednesday.
Bello, on the other hand, said that if there were no safeguards to limit separatism mechanism and a weak electoral system, there is a danger of providing that mechanism to pave the way for actual secession.
"I think one of the reasons why federalism is being proposed because of that thinking that only people from Mindanao can provide for solutions to its problems. But, of course, the creation of states, there are corresponding rights under international law like for example, the right to self-determination," Bello said.
A state, he added, may opt to separate from a federation through a plebiscite and turn into an independent sovereign or possibly a member of another federation. Thus, there is a need for the government to institute limitations in the pact.
Suara Bangsamoro National Chair Amirah Ali Lidasan meantime said it is truly a setback to the peace process.
"Lalo na ngayon other politicians are using the issue of the MOA to fan anti-Moro and anti-MILF hysteria. We also think that it was the government's fault of not informing the public of its true intentions for the talks," Lidasan said.
"We fear that GMA (President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) will only use the talks to pave way for Charter Change, because if she is really for peace, then she should have informed the public about the MOA. She should have put a stop to the war mongering of Vice Governor (Emmanuel) Piñol and Mayor [Celso] Lobregat and stop the AFP deployment in MILF areas," she added.
Lidasan also said that since the government is "harping so much" about legality and constitutionality, then they should have known better than approve the draft.
