Photo Courtesy of PulitzerCenter.org
Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order on the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement that would create a larger Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao that would be called the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front. This was a 'victory' for the opponents of this MOA. And as for me, we should not take steps on resolving the conflict by further dividing ourselves.
I also believe that to solve the problem of the MILF or the Abu Sayaf and the communist insurgency elsewhere is to provide the much needed basic social services of the people (e.g. education, health, housing). Mindanao had been long neglected as well as the far-flung communities which are heavily infested with communist insurgents. I believe that these 'revolutionaries' (not rebels, because in the first place, they are crying out genuine problems), would not have the guts to take up arms against the established government if they are receiving these services which are indeed, very basic and very simple. Yet why in all these years, the government had failed to give?
And another question? Why are they in a hurry? Well, one answer that I have thought of is that because solving the 'Moro rebellion' is one of the main policies of the Arroyo regime, they would want to solve it right away so that she can 'proudly claim' that she has 'solved' it. And well maybe help her approval ratings go up. But hey Mrs. Arroyo, you are not solving the problem. You are creating a new one by giving the MILF the reason to push through for an independent Bangsamoro State. Well, I would be one of the many Filipinos who would stand up for a united Philippines. Religion or ethnicity should not be a dividing factor in our country. And it should not be a reason for separation. Umayos ka nga Gloria.
Photo Courtesy of geoconger.wordpress.com
I agree with you 100%. We christian in mindanao shouldn`t suffer because of the greed power. The president not solving any problem but creating more, and it such a headache to all of us.
ReplyDeleteThe issue in Mindanao has been long standing... and no president has yet come up with how to better deal with the MILF other than make them more powerful economically and project dominance over portions of Mindanao... Gloria won't fix this. she's more concerned about saving her own face than 'facing' the pressing issues.
ReplyDeletei like your take on the issue but i beg to disagree with you on one note- the thing is, these REBELS are not revolutionaries. they're calling for 'Jihad' every chance they get. they don't want the basic social services (and i truly believe they are for the most part getting this from our government!), besides they can also get it by force if they have to!
bottomline is, they want their own independent Bangsamoro State. they wanted it since time immemorial. their ancestors have been claiming Mindanao from the getgo.
it is our very own government despite their own failures and inequities, stopping them from doing it. i'll give them that.
I'm from mindanao, born and raised Catholic and i agree for a united Philippines. but the truth is nobody knows how to solve this mindanao issue unless one party is willing to give up to the demands of the other. MILF has only one demand: to have a free, independent Bangsamoro state in Mindanao. Religion or ethnicity should not be a reason for separation, yes but who can stop the MILF??
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on a lighter note. my other site: http://tataypepes.com has an article from Antonio Abaya relevant to your topic. visit it when you get the chance.
Yes, let's exchange links! :-) I'm adding you to mysinigang.com's link that links section. thanks for the note!
sorry for this long comment. ( i deleted the first one too coz i found some typo errors).
your article was just too good to pass... Mabuhay! :-)