More than a year after the Supreme Court slapped a temporary restraining order on the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Muslim Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the MILF has now been reported as having sought the assistance of the United States to mediate in a peace negotiation to hopefully end the decades-long secessionist war in Mindanao.
Last year’s controversial MOA called for an expanded ARMM and would grant the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) its own internal security force, a system of banking and finance, civil service, education and legislative institutions, full authority to develop and dispose of minerals and natural resources. The BJE would also reportedly be able to send trade missions abroad and enter into international agreements.
Naturally, the Supreme Court had to stop it before it could be signed. After all, it was a blatant violation of the Philippine Constitution and was in complete disregard of the wishes of the people of the affected areas. The MOA did not only surrender sovereignty, it also threatened to dismember the Republic.
Feeling deceived, and understandably so, the MILF started attacking and razing villages in the areas that were supposed to be covered by their ancestral domain under the failed MOA, resulting in the death of scores of soldiers and civilians, the scorching of homes and businesses, and the flight of townsfolk fearful of being caught in the middle of another war.
For weeks, the country teetered on the brink of a civil war, with Christians and lumads arming themselves against attacks by the secessionist Moros. Last July, one year later, the two groups finally agreed to another ceasefire, opening the way for another round of peace talks.
It was suspected then that the US had something to do with the sudden turnaround of the Philippine negotiating panel in agreeing to the MOA after decades of hard stance against surrendering sovereignty in that part of the country.
Here was what I said in a column dated August 4, 2008 entitled “Bitter Pill to Swallow” about the possible US involvement in the rush to sign the controversial MOA:
“It is also possible the United States, in cahoots with the MILF, is pushing for the Bangsamoro Republic that would allow it to take a foothold on that region of Mindanao, which is not only very rich in natural and possibly oil resources, but is also a very strategic spot militarily.
“Certainly, there is an American card here somewhere. For one, it has been reported that the US State Department had tasked a group called the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) to undertake a project to help expedite a peace agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF from 2003 to 2007 that would support the establishment of an ancestral domain.
“The report said the US’s special interest in the GRP-MILF peace agreement is meant to prevent international terrorist groups from exploiting the conflict in the Philippines after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the US. The late MILF chairman Salamat Hashim reportedly personally wrote US President George Bush in 2003 to help resolve the conflict between the government and the Moro people.
“The US support for the peace talks with the MILF came during the same period that the MILF, through Salamat, declared that they had renounced terrorism to attain their political ends.
“Secondly, US Ambassador Kinney has lately been too patronizing with the Mindanao people, visiting almost every month with various gifts and projects.”
Ambassador Kinney was among those invited to witness the signing which was supposed to be held in Malaysia in late July last year. Three days before the signing date, with all the signatories and foreign dignitaries already in Kuala Lumpur, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order after an outburst of protests from several senators, militant groups, and the affected people of Mindanao.
This time, the MILF wants direct involvement by the US in the peace process. While it could be ascertained from the events of last year prior to the aborted signing of the MOA that the US had an indirect, albeit influential hand in the formulation of that controversial MOA, now the MILF negotiators want the Americans to openly mediate in the negotiations.
On Friday, US Deputy Ambassador Leslie Bassett led senior American officials in a two-hour meeting with Murad Ebrahim, the MILF leader, in Maguindanao’s Sultan Kudarat town.
Basset reportedly assured Ebrahim of US support to the peace process in Mindanao. The US Embassy, however, wouldn’t categorically confirm the report, saying that “Ms. Bassett met with various leaders and officials in Cotabato as part of a routine familiarization visit.”
The MILF said the meeting took place at Darapanan, the rebel group’s main training camp in Cotabato, but Thompson would not specifically say if these meetings included MILF representatives.
Apparently, the Arroyo administration has no objection to the MILF desire to have the US as intermediary, with deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar, who used to protest American imperialism during his Kabataang Makabayan days, saying the government is amenable to the idea.
Would the result of the peace negotiations be any different from the outcome of the Malaysian-brokered and American-prodded MOA of last year? There would probably be some adjustments to avoid a repeat of last year’s outrage against the MOA, but the end result would be the same – the dismemberment of the Philippines and the surrender of Philippine sovereignty in that island.
The US needs a more established military presence than the current Visiting Forces Agreement allows, and which the Philippine Constitution prohibits. A cooperative Bangsamoro Republic or even just a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, which can enter into international agreements, can provide the US an opportunity to set up military bases in Mindanao, from which it can reassert its military power over Southeast Asia and check terrorism in the region.
At the same time, a subservient Bangsamoro Republic can give American companies unlimited access to the region’s natural and mineral resources.
Will the Arroyo government resist any effort by the Americans to give up Mindanao under a distorted federal system of government? I don’t think so.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo knows that any agreement that would give more than autonomy to Mindanao would require first an amendment to the Constitution. If she gets the nod of Washington to push for constitutional change (cha-cha) to accommodate its plans in Mindanao, she would get another opportunity to remain in power beyond 2010 or regain her power after 2010 with the shift to parliamentary system of government or the lifting of term limits for the presidency.
With Washington as her partner, she can now dance the cha-cha with greater fervor.
(valabelgas@aol.com