Bye Bye Bangsamoro Baby
Posted in pinas and tagged with bangsamoro, independence, MILF, mindanao on 08/03/2008 06:11 pm by miss choiIt’s about damn time.
My thesis back in college — not entirely of my own volition — was on the on-going conflict in Mindanao. I was never exactly interested in the topic; we were forced to pick it out of a box. Anyway, the thesis ended up making me a staunch supporter of the separatist movement Moro Islamic Liberation Front, if only because I understood where they were coming from.
Historically speaking, the Bangsamoro nation has never been actually part of the Philippines. They didn’t want to be with us at all. More importantly, most Filipinos didn’t like Muslims either. The government exploited Mindanao’s resources without giving them any financial or developmental support in return.
What right do we have to keep stringing them along?
It’s not that I advocate the violent tactics of the MILF (the Abu Sayyaf is an entirely different story, by the way). My point is that we might as well let them go. We’ve tormented them for years, what with the discrimination and lack of government funding. They’ve been mired in poverty for years while Metro Manila boomed.
If we can’t give them anything decent, we might as well just give them a shot at freedom.
Besides, if that’s the best way to end decades of conflict then so be it.
So now the Inquirer reported that the peace process has finally taken a productive turn. The formation of a Bangsamoro state will be signed (hopefully) by August 5. It’s not clear if they’ll be a completely separate country like East Timor, but they’ll be having their own set of government, armed forces, banking system etc etc. I’m thinking of it as more of a China-Hong Kong format, but I’m not sure.
At the very least, they now have the right to govern themselves and engage in trade with other nations, as long as they don’t act aggressively towards the Philippines. That sounds pretty much like independence to me.
Now then, if they screw up this state and drive people into a scenario worse than the status quo then, well, suck it up kids. They won’t have the Philippines to blame anymore. It’s the only thing they’ve been waiting for for years. Now that their wish is finally almost true, it’s up to them to make it work.
If it sucks, well, sorry.
But all the best, dear ex-brothers. Hope this finally becomes a dream come true.
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
How is this any different than the ARMM thingy? We already had two plebiscites and virtually no one wanted to join.
Look not even the Bangsamoro people want to be ruled by the MILF thugs. I see no reason for rejoicing. Besides it’s not a done deal by a long shot.
Why in the world would we want to turn our Muslim brothers and sisters over to the Sultanates that used to run slave raiding and trading rings all over the Southern Philippines?
August 3rd, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Hmm. Tons of points to answer:
1. This new set-up, from what I understand, grants them almost complete separation (at least in terms of governance, etc). I think they’re still ironing out the final framework. I’m not sure which plebiscite you’re talking about. If you mean in support of separation, I have research documents that show majority of the Bangsamoro people supporting secession.
2. The MILF is not a group of thugs. Unlike the Abu Sayyaf, they do have a cause, although there are offshoot groups, of course, that deviate and turn to crime. From my previous research, they do have the support of the Bangsamoro people, especially since the people no longer trust the Philippine government to give them any financial aid for development. That makes it a lot easier for them to accept that the MILF will offer a better government once they’re separated. Not the whole of Mindanao is Bangsamoro, by the way. A plebiscite in the areas claimed as Bangsamoro territory, however, did show that the majority wanted secession.
3. Using that argument, no one should trust the British.
I read your posts, btw, and I have to say this post isn’t really about Gloria’s masterplan (though I do believe she has one). I only think secession might be a good idea since they’ve been suffering in our hands for years.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:14 am
“Why in the world would we want to turn our Muslim brothers and sisters over to the Sultanates that used to run slave raiding and trading rings all over the Southern Philippines?”
As they say in movies that try to depict American inner-city youth: nigger, what?
I was at a meeting (but not meeting with) OPAPP’s Esperon, and he said that in the new agreement, the MILF do not want to secede anymore, but will settle for the creation of the Bangsaamore Juridical Entity (BJE) that will give them enough autonomy and a lion’s share of the mineral resources in the area to make them reasonably self-sustaining.
From what I understand, the BJE will replace the ARMM as the new homeland of the Bangsamoro people and will incorporate a much larger territory including two towns in Palawan.
I’m wary of giving away national territory, myself, but can’t really speak for the people who actually live in the areas of conflict. I guess, though, that if we’re going to give away our land, we might as well give it to people who live here instead of China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and every other country we have a territorial dispute with.
Still, nigger, what?
August 4th, 2008 at 10:15 am
*Bangsamoro, despite what my spastic fingers typed in.
August 4th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Technically speaking, it’s not even constitutional to secede any of our national territory, so this means the agreement might not come to fruition at all.
My only concern is that this conflict has been going on for far too long.
As for those who say the people in the area refuse to take part in this agreement, then have a plebiscite. This is still a fucking democracy, if I remember correctly
Anyway, yeah, we need to think this agreement through — the devil is in the details — though I’m still supportive of the Bangsamoro cause.
Spastic fingers — I have those, too.
August 4th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
It’ll be on the news soon, but apparently, this MOA is pretty scary.
According to one congressman from Makati, the MOA will not require a plebiscite because it states in the contract that it is valid upon signing by the two parties.
That we’ll need a plebiscite to ratify it does not exist in the universe of the MOA by simply not being mentioned.
The Supreme Court could say that it violates the Constitution, but guess what? They won’t be the Supreme Court of Bangsa Moro so their opinion won’t matter.
I don’t know if it’s just spin, and I don’t know how things will play out, but this stuff is pretty scary if true.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
If that’s true then we have a problem in our hands. BTW, I saw Esperon mentioning the plebiscite in an interview as a guide to see where exactly the MOA will be implemented.
Too many details swimming around right now — but if anything it all sounds a little too hurried to me. I like the basic idea but if there’s something sinister behind all this then hmmm…
August 5th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
This is a concern, especially since the Bangsamoro territories are not contiguous spaces. There would be a lot of territorial tiptoeing if this pushes through. Plus if we think that creating a separate Islamic “state” (for lack of a better word) would eliminate the conflict let us think again… India-Pakistan, Russia-Chechnya, Israel-Palestine anyone? Although the Israel-Palestine situation is the reverse but you get my drift.
Also even though political correctness has lost its luster, however…
“More importantly, most Filipinos didn’t like Muslims either”???
I dislike horrible Muslims the same way I dislike horrible Christians and Atheist. I’m not splitting hairs its just that I’ve been living with other people’s blanket mentality for the longest time and I am kinda sensitive to it.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
@Marman - apparently you are more than a little sensitive hehehe. If you read the sentence before, that you’ll see that i’m encapsulating the animosity between Filipino Christians and Muslims. Granted, I missed that Christian part
But that’s what I meant Muslims vs. Christians.
But it’s true, there is a lot of animosity between Christians and Muslims in this country because of historical issues and a lot of other factors. Besides, I said “some” not “all”
Anyway, re India-Pakistan and Russia-Chechnya, there are a lot of issues involved in those splits, so it’s not necessarily similar to what we have here. Most important of all, however, is the fact that the MOA isn’t even going to push through, so all of this is really moot.
August 6th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Hehe… sometimes subtleties are lost to me when these kinds of words are nearby I’m like Pavlov’s dog, conditional response and such… :). Just don’t want one of my favorite smart bloggers turn into Ann Coulter is all
Yeah I read about the MoA suspension yesterday, not that I’m flogging a dead horse here. I still think a level of autonomy could be given and made to work. It worked in USA, Canada and Australia. As long as the framework is based on geography 1st, history 2nd, religion and creed 11th.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
@Marman - not that I think the Ann Coulter thing would ever happen, but if it does, shoot me in the face.
Yes, I hear you. It’s not religion — always the scapegoat — but politics that drives us into this mess.
Of course we could mess this up a bit by adding Anderson’s “Imagine Communities” theory, but I’d rather not hehe
August 7th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
[...] See Rebel Pen who sees conflict as the inevitable and necessary price for development, and Stoned Immaculate who feels there is little justification for continued integration. Some of it may be wishful [...]
August 7th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
[...] See Rebel Pen who sees conflict as the inevitable and necessary price for development, and Stoned Immaculate who feels there is little justification for continued integration. Some of it may be wishful [...]
August 8th, 2008 at 7:22 am
wow. MLQ3.