Monday, September 08, 2008 Body to address land rows in Mindanao to be created By Ben O. Tesiorna
A BILL that will call for the creation of an area-specific, culture-sensitive, and quasi-judicial agency to address land conflicts in Mindanao will be filed this week by North Cotabato Representative Bernardo Piñol Jr.
The body, proposed as the Mindanao Land Conflict Settlement Commission (MLCSC), will be created mainly to address allegations of forcible dispossession of land in Mindanao.
Piñol said he has prepared the draft bill which he will file this week as a follow-up action on the resolution of the Provincial Board (PB) of North Cotabato calling for legislative measure to create the MLCSC to address some of the issues and problems related to the Mindanao conflict.
North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol, who introduced the resolution before the PB of North Cotabato two weeks ago, said the body is expected to address squarely the issue of forcible land dispossession, especially during the Christian-Muslim conflict in the 1970s.
"The issue of land conflict has been peddled through the years as the main reason for the discontent of the Muslims in the south. Let us address this problem once and for all," said Representative Piñol, younger brother of the vice governor.
Vice Governor Piñol said that while there are cases of forcible dispossession of land, especially during the period of conflict of the 1970s, some of the stories about land grabbing of Muslim lands are largely exaggerated and intended to fuel the anger of Muslims against government.
"I have been accused of grabbing 2,000 hectares of Muslim land in North Cotabato by the MILF and even if I deny that, it would only be perceived as self-serving. The creation of this body will finally settle whether that allegation is true or not. Let those whose land I allegedly grabbed come forward and present evidence that I actually own 2,000 hectares which of course is not true," Vice Governor Piñol said.
By creating a body that will finally address the allegations, government will not only be resolving legitimate complaints but also stop the "land grabbing" propaganda by the MILF to justify the rebellion and the atrocities in the south and its call for an independent Islamic state.
"It is time to separate the grain from chaff," Vice Governor Piñol said. He also emphasized that the body would really be able to give justice to those who were truly dispossessed of their land through force.
"Those who have legitimate complaints will now have a venue for redress. On the other hand, the MLCSC will also be able to decide on false claims," he said.
Under the proposed bill, the MLCSC will only be specific for Muslim-Christian-Lumad land conflicts in the southern Philippines and will have the power to decide and rule on the cases.
Representative Piñol said he will ask President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to certify the bill as urgent so that the MLCSC "will immediately be able to address the burning issue of the day."
Senator Manuel Roxas III pledged to support the measure when it reaches the Senate.
The creation of the MLCSC is one of the two major initiatives of Vice Governor Piñol to address the problems in the southern Philippines. The other measure is the "Invest in Peace" Program where the top business corporations of the country will be asked to adopt the poorest Muslim barangays in Mindanao and provide immediate interventions like the construction of school buildings, livelihood training, water system and even cable TV and internet connections.
The "Invest in Peace" program, which is also being supported by Senator Roxas, will be launched next month in at least six barangays in North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces. (With Press release)
