Peace talk in Mindanao

Urging the GRP to break the stand-off in the peace talks with the MILF



When the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) started talking peace with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) on January 7, 1997, the former pushed for a single-point agendum for the peace negotiations that is “How to solve the ‘Bangsamoro Problem”.


And there was a “gentlemen’s agreement” by the negotiating parties that the MILF would not bring out the issue of independence in the talks and the government the issue of constitution, sovereignty and territorial integrity as part of confidence building measures.


It has been a public knowledge that the goal of the Bangsamoro struggle is to liberate themselves from the clutches of the oppressive and neo-colonial Philippine regime including foreign colonialism to ultimately regain full independence. The MILF never made it an agenda in its peace talks with the GRP to uphold the said “gentlemen’s agreement”.


Since 1997, the parties have already signed a number of peace agreements, joint communiqués and aide-memoirs, among others. In all those documents, one can nowhere find such words and phrases as independence, constitutional process or sovereignty and territorial integrity. There was, however, some reference on international human rights laws as well as international humanitarian laws.

However, during the 13th Exploratory Talks held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last September 6-7, the peace panels did not come into an agreement on the strand of territory of the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity due to the constitutional process invoked by the government.


Learning from the MNLF experiences, the MILF rejected said offer asserting “it does not want to repeat the failure of the GRP-MNLF Final Peace Agreement (FPA) of September 2, 1996”. Until now the government is yet to deliver its commitment on the said Agreement.


On the other hand, the government stands firm in its position that the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) cannot be expanded unless it goes through a constitutional process. That, its hands are tied to the constitution in any agreement it must enter to with the instruments.


With this situation, we firmly believe that in resolving the Bangsamoro issue, the GRP and the MILF must exert all efforts to be creative and resourceful. The government, on one hand, must give preference to Human Security as the over-all arching goal rather than the state security and refrain from invoking the constitution as the final process in reaching out agreement and peace. The human beings are far greater in value than the state and than the constitution. People’s integrity is more important than territories. The MILF on the other hand can hold in abeyance some of the territories outside of the 613 barangays and the ARMM offered by the government in transitional status to give itself ample time to show the viability of a Moro-led society. In other words, we would like to see the peace process continue beyond the signing of any political settlement.


There is the only way and the right way. The old way and the new way of negotiating employed by the government is not working. Getting out of the constitutional box and exploring a more creative and human security-based means is the right way out.


War is always a threat to human security. There are no winners but only losers.


We, therefore, urge the Government of the Republic of the Philippines to have a strong political will to resolve the impending impasse’ and to be more flexible in its position to the current peace talks.



Signatories:




(SGD) Dr. Pendatun Pangadil

(SGD)Sammy Maulana

Bangsamoro Coalition for Peace Bangsamoro Civil Society for Peace

(BCP) (BCSP)




Prof. Taha Usop (SGD)

Bobby Benito
Bangsamoro Center for Justpeace
(BCJP)





(SGD) Alibai Benito

Bangsamoro Women for Peace