Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Ledesma: Political chameleons By Jun Ledesma Sunbursts
IF THERE is anything significant in the present imbroglio over the memo of agreement on ancestral domain crafted by the MILF and the government peace negotiating panels, it is the unmasking of the character, the strength or the weakness of the will power of our incumbent senators and congressmen.
Set aside the MOA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain) for a moment. Not too long ago majority of the senators backed Mindanao senator Nene Pimentel and endorsed his proposal for a Federal form of government now popularly known as Senate Resolution number 10.
There were no fuss, no fracas about the idea. Nene steadfastly believed that federalism will correct the many iniquities that impeded the progress and development of Mindanao and that the restiveness of the Bangsamoro people will be effectively addressed under a Federal setup. The perspective of Mindanawons over this issue contravenes those from Luzon. It is foolhardy for the Makati business enclaves to shake up the system that provides them all the necessary infrastructures to promote their interest. It does not surprise me anymore to see this elite group that controls the wealth of the nation bonding together to preserve the status quo.
It does not surprise me anymore to see their marionettes in Congress raising their voices in chorus with their political financiers. I do not blame them. In a Federal system, 85 percent of the revenues generated by the proposed 11 Federal states will be retained by them. The reverse of that is what is obtaining today. Thus we have a cement jungle in the National Capital Region where all the amenities are concentrated while Mindanao remains to be in limbo.
That's why the Bangsamoro people dreamed of a homeland. They deserve that. They fought for it while the rest of us were watching when actually we have the same gripes and frustrations. Many thought that the- all-out- war of the Estrada government and the feast at Camp Abubakar are a victory that would end the conflict in Mindanao. It is merely a comma.
The comforting consolation is that there is a yearning for peace and therefore the compelling demand for negotiation ensued. You have to give credit to our Jess Dureza in whose watch a peace agreement was enforced. This drastically brought down the incidence of hostilities to almost nil. The only confrontation we heard was clans' war.
Overseas, the Organization of Islamic Countries through Libyan President Moamar Khadaffy issued a succinct declaration that the peace negotiation should respect and be within the framework of the Philippine constitution and sovereignty.
Peace negotiation is never an easy task the way some of our politicians would put it. The MOA on AD while it had been an initialed document is far from being a done deal. The problem was that the new OPAPP Jun Esperon seemed to be in a hurry to prove that he is not a hawk. In a conference at the Medco office last July where he announced that the MOA was almost agreed upon but Esperon kept everybody guessing. And then, without any warning, comes the announcement that the MOA on AD will be signed by August 5. As if this was not enough MILF Kummander Umbra Kato started to harass remote villages in North Cotabato. Then comes the intervention of the High Court.
The problem was the failure to communicate. Both the MILF and OPAPP failed to take up the sensitive issues in the MOA. Kummander Kato thought that with the MOA initialed by the negotiating panels they now can take possession of the barangays listed in the proposed expanded Bangsamoro Juridical Entity. On the part of OPAPP the presumption was that the local government units and other stakeholders affected by the proposed expanded territory (call it homeland) will just take the MOA as a matter of course. The legal luminaries call it unconstitutional. The presidentiables have their own populist speeches to deliver while the street parliamentarians re-emerged with their incendiary oratory, which are empty of rational alternatives. In the senate hall, those who favored Charter Change to give way to federalism recanted their commitment to support Pimentel's proposal just because President Arroyo gave it a sales pitch.
In the House of Representatives, former and still hurting speaker Jose de Venecia who had been around the globe to tell the world that he will push for federalism in the Philippines, suddenly had a change of heart and is now singing a different tune. These political chameleons lacked the will and the spine to stand on a controversy. How can we entrust the government to weaklings. Thank goodness we have this brewing storm for now we know who can brave the cyclone and lead us to the right direction no matter how rough is the path.
Last Monday, the business leaders in Mindanao assembled in Davao City assert their stand on the MOA on AD, which is now on suspended animation. The consensus was for the revival of the negotiation. They want that the negotiating panels revisit the MOA on AD anew and see what is there to whittle down or given stronger impetus. What they want is to involve the business sector to be involved in the negotiation. This is feasible of course but I am afraid that "too many cooks might spoil the broth." They can actually actively participate in the plebiscite that is required before the MOA on AD becomes a actionable document when the peace negotiation comes into the final phase.
