The breaking news over the weekend is that the Philippine Government (GRP) has ended its negotiations on a framework agreement for peace in Mindanao and is expected to sign a peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) hopefully by Oct. 15, 2012, and that part of this deal is the establishment of a “Bangsamoro State.” Sounds surreal?
It’s real enough for the US Embassy to issue a communiqué that US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr. welcomed the announcement on the finalization of the GRP and the MILF Framework Agreement. But it admits “Much work remains, successful implementation of this agreement would improve security, stability, and development for the people of Mindanao, while acknowledging the deliberate steps by all parties to maintain a ceasefire that has been in place since 2009.”
In making this announcement, President Aquino pointed out that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is a failed experiment, and I fully agree with him that this should be changed into something better. But wait-a-minute! Didn’t we pass this road before? When the issue of having a “Bangsamoro State” was revealed during the term of President Arroyo, she hit a blank wall… for there can be no state created in this country unless we change our Constitution.
There is no question that the GRP must exert extra effort to have an absolute peace accord if we want Mindanao to progress further. However, you have to pardon my skepticism, simply because we’ve been there and done that. During the time of President Ramos, he was close to having a peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), remember them? So my question is… if the MILF is buying this peace accord with the Aquino regime… where does this put the MNLF?
I don’t want to spoil what the Aquino regime is up to, but I’m willing to forgo any criticism on this deal for as along as it is transparent. It will truly promote real peace in Mindanao and whatever deal would be hatched would be permanent. Finally, let me stress it is not only Muslim separatists that are causing trouble in Mindanao… the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing the New People’s Army (NPA) are doing even worse than the terrorists. They are even suspected to have some kind of tête-à-tête’ with the MILF on certain allowable “safe havens.” What about the Abu Sayyaf? Are they excluded in this deal?
So let P-Noy get that peace deal pronto, but, it must involve all armed groups, and above all, it must also result in the disarming of political warlords, an accusation that the Yellows mercilessly pinned on then Presidential bet former Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro for not disarming those armed groups. Yet after two years under P-Noy, he hasn’t disarmed these threats to our nation’s security.
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We just commemorated the 40 years of the unlamented Martial Law that the conjugal Marcos dictatorship declared in the entire Philippine archipelago, yet there are certain practices that we fought so hard to remove and succeed after a 10-year crusade that might just come back with a vengeance. I’m referring to the Anti-Carnapping Permits (ANCAR) that the Philippine National Police (PNP) hierarchy wanted Malacañang to restore. Their official reason is… to stop carnapping in the country. Really now?
We have been in the forefront in the fight against this draconian edict because we’ve always believed that we are presumed innocent until our guilt is proven. But in the ANCAR permits, the PNP considers your vehicle as stolen until you prove its innocence. The ANCAR permits were removed during the first term of President Arroyo under then DOTC Sec. Pantaleon Alvarez, who
sought my advice, which resulted to an executive order removing this offensive and corrupt PNP ruling.
In truth, the ANCAR permits were a mere bureaucratic albeit corrupt move by the PNP because it never reduced Carnapping in this country. Just last Sunday, Oct.7th, the Philippine STAR editorialized “Cops, Hijackers” which reveals the reality that Carnapping syndicates exist because of corruption in the PNP and government agencies like the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The return of the ANCAR permits is merely a smoke screen to hide this highly embarrassing fact.
When the ANCAR Permits were removed by then Pres. Arroyo, it resulted in a boom in domestic tourism, because it was now easy for us motorcycle riders or families on their own cars to cross to the nearby islands or in Mindanao on Roll-on, Roll-off vessels. Today the Regional Development Council (RDC-7) has been asked by Malacañang to respond to the PNP proposal, however there is still no word from Malacañang whether Pres. PNoy would sign an Executive Order to revive the ANCAR permit or not?
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For e-mail responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mo-pzcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.