Revival of MOA-AD sought

MANILA, Philippines - The government should pursue the failed memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) to achieve peace in Mindanao, an aspirant for officer-in-charge of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said yesterday.

Former Lanao del Sur governor Saidamen Pangarungan said the MOA-AD should not be completely set aside despite a Supreme Court ruling which described portions of it as unconstitutional.

“It was a product of painstaking negotiations. The Supreme Court nullified it because of unconstitutionality of just two or three provisions there. I think it could provide a good start for effective peace talks,” he told The STAR in a phone interview.

“Any peace talks should not start from scratch. Rather it should focus on the provisions of the MOA-AD, which were rejected by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. The parties should then agree on solutions or alternatives that are acceptable under the Constitution,” he said.

The high tribunal said the MOA-AD was unconstitutional because its proponents had agreed to sign it without consulting all the stakeholders, including the communities that would have been affected by the formation of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

He said he believes the political settlement to the conflict in Mindanao would be " genuine autonomy for ARMM enjoying the powers of a sub-state.”

“This will no longer require an amendment to the Constitution while proposing a new sub-state will require an amendment thereto,” he said.

Pangarungan is one of the three remaining bets in President Aquino’s shortlist for ARMM-OIC. The other two are former Anak Mindanao party-list representative Mujiv Hataman and Muslim leader Macabangkit Lanto.

Pangarungan said he also supports the President’s position to proceed with the peace talks with the MILF amid calls for revival of “all-out war” policy following the death of 19 soldiers in an ambush in Basilan.

He recalled the success of government’s peace talks with Moro National Liberation Front during the administration of the President’s late mother, former President Corazon Aquino, which led to the signing of 1996 final peace agreement in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“We should resolve this through the negotiating table,” he stressed.