The first issue is the issue of the Displaced. There are differing statistical figures on the exact number of the displaced. The NGO's put the figure at about 600,000 while the GO puts it at about 350,000. If the latter figure is taken, it is really a disaster and if the former is true, it is then a catastrophe. The displaced are not simply statistical numbers or COLLATERAL DAMAGE in the on-going war in Mindanao. They have human faces, names, and families and before the present Mindanao War, they too had their own homes and lands to till.
The issue of the displaced is now the biggest challenge to all people of GOODWILL during this JUBILEE YEAR. One of the CALLS is "return to the land". This can be our dream and focus of reconstruction….Return to their lands/villages, rebuild their homes and pick up the pieces of their livelihood. GIVE PEACE a SPACE!
The second is the PEACE PROCESS in Southern Philippines. It is very tragic to speak of the peace process in the midst of an all-out war policy adopted by the Government beginning April 28th, 2000 and the all-out JIHAD response of the MILF after the AFP takeover of Camp Abubakar in the second week of July. What was then a government strategy of "degrading the MILF capability" through limited military option has turned to a nightmare. The GRP's all-out offensive against the MILF has caused unparallelled major displacements, greater polarization of the Mindanao society along confessional lines, economic disaster and almost total erosion of people's faith in the Peace Process. The trust and confidence built through the years are gone!
Both sides have now set conditions for the resumption of the Formal Peace Talks. The Government's three conditions: a) Drop the secessionist goal, b) Drop all terrorist acts, and c) Drop your gun, have been the major stumbling blocks in the peace process since the conditions appear to be terms of surrender for the MILF. On the other hand, the MILF, after its leadership has been included in the PNP's order of battle coupled by arrest warrants, is NOW insisting to hold the talks OUTSIDE the Philippines.
Moreover, the MILF has NOW rejected the so-called "political package" that the GRP has offered the MILF. The proposed Interim Agreement has reached an impassed since the GRP and the MILF differ on the understanding of negotiation and talks. The Government insists that the MILF AGREES to AUTONOMY as the political solution to the BangsaMoro problem. On the other hand, the MILF AGREES to DISCUSS AUTONOMY as a political solution to the BangsaMoro problem.
I personally believe that the MILF is open to Autonomy if the right PEACE FORMULA is found. The mere fact that the MILF has entered into a Peace Process is an indicator of flexibility. But Government has to come out with a creative and innovative political package that can serve as a PEACE FORMULA. What the MILF desires is to live and chart their destiny according to their set of beliefs. Religious Freedom is a Constitutional guarantee that is even prior to political and civil rights.
The MILF slogan "Separate Independent Islamic State" is an articulation of ideal. The mere fact that this is NOT included among the talking points shows their belief that this is NOT attainable and feasible within the given parameters of the present realities. There is recognition that NO government will concede dismemberment of its territorial integrity and/or diminution of its Sovereignty. What is being looked at by the Peace Panels is a formula whereby the ideals and the "given" are reconcilable either through a grant and/or recognition of autonomy in local affairs both in governance and administration of justice that includes among others pertinent provisions of th Shari'a.
The latest obstacles to the PEACE PROCESS are Warrants of Arrest and the (9) million bounty that the GRP has put on the heads of the MILF leaders: Five million for MILF chair Salamat Hashim, three million for Vice Chair for Military Affairs Kagui Murad and one million for MILF Spokesperson, Eid Kabalu. The latest GRP move has triggered the MILF's indefinite suspension of the Peace Talks between the GRP and the MILF. (After the talk between the President and the CBCP in August, the bounty was lifted in order to create a favorable climate for the resumption of the Peace Talks.)
The third crucial issue is Development and Empowerment. The War in Mindanao has exacerbated the gloss reality of underdevelopment and poverty, especially after the massive destruction and almost economic paralysis beginning April 28th 2000. Even before the GRP's take over of Camp Abubakar as-Siddique in the first week of July, a Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan for Central Mindanao was designed and approved by the President. The National Disaster Coordinating Council shall orchestrate and supervise at the national level the implementation of the plan that will be operationalized by the Office of the Civil Defense ES Zamora issued the Memorandum to all Government Agencies concerned on June 22, 2000.
Then on July 5th, the President issued Executive Order 261 constituting the Mindanao Coordinating Council or the MCC. The said body is tasked to orchestrate and facilitate the rehabilitation of Mindanao, specifically in the affected areas by the war.
This was followed by the issuance on July 17th of Executive Order No. 267 constituting the Presidential Executive Task Force for Relief and Rehabilitation of Central Mindanao.
What is interesting is the fact that these three super bodies tasked to orchestrate, supervise and implement the relief, rehabilitation and re-construction of Mindanao, specifically the areas affected by the war have practically the same roles and functions. People wonder whether these bodies represent the well-known "turfing" struggle in the corridor of power.
But the tragedy in all these development, rehabilitation, re-construction and relief hullabaloo is the fact that these superbodies were all concocted in the National Capital Region without any benefit of consultation or real participation of the stakeholders, the Mindanawans, in general and the people in the affected areas, in particular. Any development plan, more so rehabilitation needs to empower the people who are the real principals and stakeholders in this venture.
In the same way that there can be no "ENFORCED PEACE", there is no such animal as "ENFORCED DEVELOPMENT". The tragedy is further compounded by the PROLIFERATION of so many ""odies""floating and hanging around, i.e., MEDCO, PARECO, RDC, SPDA, ARMM, and SPCPD. What one needs is a real guide in the midst of floating development bodies in order NOT to be lost. This is a classic example of a government going berserk after destroying the place. NO VISION, NO FOCUS, NO COHERANCE AND TOO MANY COOKS.
The fourth issue is Governance and Accountability. Both national and local governance is the issue in the present tragedy in Mindanao. Good governance with vision and accountability is as elusive as Peace and Development in Mindanao. The local government units, particularly in Central and Southern Mindanao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are actual "vassals" of the Lord that resides somewhere in the Pasig river. The releases of funds for projects and the "unaccountable" Internal Revenue Allotments are tied up to "captive" electoral votes during elections. Performances in Public Service and Accountability to the constituents are issues foreign to uniquely patron-client relations between Malacanang and the Local Government Units.
Very often the lack of performance or dismal failure in governance is attributed to a lack of capacity in the local government units. The solutions often affered are seminars and series of training-workshops on "capacity building". Yet, the real problem in governance is, perhaps, not capacity but structure or system of governance that is NOT attuned and responsive to the CULTURE and praxis of both the governors and the governed. The behavior of the governors and the governed fit the strongly "semi'feudal" and "semi-colonial" relations as typified in the existing Patron-Client structure. Such governance has distinct indicators that are not measured by actual performance on the ground and accountability to the people.
When people demand "autonomy" or any type of "self-determination", they point not only to the issue of empowering them to decide and determine on local affairs but also to the issue of putting an END to what is commonly labeled as "Imperial Manila" to mean precisely the Patron-Client Relations.
The fifth issue is the urgent need for Dialogue and Culture of Peace. Mindanao has always been known as the cultural melting pot. Mindanao is "blessed" by very varied cultural communities popularly known as the LUMADS that continue to inhabit the uplands. Added to the Lumads are the thirteen ethno-linguistic "groups" also known as the BangsaMoro that through the centuries has continued its struggle to live according to a particular set of beliefs. Then beginning the second decade of the last century, different Christian tribes and groups from Luzon and the Visayas have settled in Mindanao and in time they have constituted the majority population in almost all provinces and citites except the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulo and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Marawi and Cotabato.
The diversities of cultures, religious beliefs and peoples demand a constant "schooling" for CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE for all. The War in Mindanao and the continuing cultural and religious stereotypes and biases, more than ever, point to the urgent need of people being schooled to the Paradigm of Dialogue and Tolerance. The bigotry and biases continue to fuel the hostility and animosity specifically between muslim and Christians. The rise of vigilantism and militia mind set under the guise of CAFGU, especially among rural folks, is tied up to a religious fanaticism that is also anti-Muslim.
In a plural Mindanao, ours is not the path of WAR but the path of Dialogue and the conscious and
concerted efforts of all to engender a CULTURE of PEACE.
The coverage of the Mindanao War continues to dominate the news for more than two months now. Beginning on the 28th of April 2000, the Broadcast Media have been very busy in the coverage of the war. There is no doubt that radio and TV take lead in bringing the war right at the very home of the greater number of Filipinos. For good or for bad, they help shape the attitude and opinion of peoples on the war. The people behind the news have shown us courage and tenacity in reporting what actually are happening on the grounds. The fierce battles being fought between the AFP and the MILF are reported live. NDBC and RMN both Mindanao based broadcast network local and national continue to cover the war with great passion and commitment.
Our office, the Independent Fact-finding Committee, continues to monitor not only the war in Mindanao but also the reporting about the war. There are good news and bad news when it comes to the reporting of the war.
The Good News is the fact that our broadcast media people are on the ground! This fact makes them actual witnesses of the on-going war in Mindanao. They are witnesses of the actual battles happening in the fields. They interview the leadership of the warring parties live. They hear and see the ferocious war machines (air,sea and land) as they relentlessly pound and destroy the enemies and their positions, including the baranggays and villages where the fightings are taking place. In all this reporting, our broadcast people have tried to be professionals in bringing the news to our homes. There are times that they sound morbid but on the main they are very factual in their reporting of the fighting between the AFP and the MILF. The presence of the media, particularly broadcast, in the field contributes greatly to a less distorted coverage of the war.
There is an element of good in popularizing a war. There is no doubt that the coverage of the war has been very extensive. Opinions, debates and straight reports from the war fronts have been the rule. We do see ala CNN coverage of the Gulf War. This is a way of popularizing the war. Surveys are added to the reporting….But surveys are designed in a way akin to a popular contest. Well for all its bad news, the broadcast media have once again surfaced the existing deep social, religious and cultural cleavages in our society. Hopefully, we all address squarely these cleavages and NOT sweep them again under the rag.
The media play a major role in shaping people's attitude and opinions about the war. The bad news is the fact that there is a preponderance of coverage on the combatants of both sides. While the combatants are both heroes and villains in war, there are actors and principals in war. The impotant connection between the combatants and the people are often lost when attention is focused on the actual battles. Resulting from this kind of coverage is an attitude that war is all about military but about people! This truth brings home that in "war there are no real victors but only victims of casualties."
The Mindanao War could have been a widely partisan war along religious and ethnic lines akin to the War of the 70's. I personally believe that one of the good news in the present War is the fact that OFFICIAL leaders of the Churches and NGO's are aware of this reality and tried to contain the War among combatants. While there are resurgent religious and ethnic streaks in our present Mindano war, on the main, the war remains among the combatants of both sides.
Yes, the NGO's, PO's and the Churches have been very active in the peace advocacy, call for a ceasefire, return of the displaced to their villages and the resumption of the peace Talks between the GRP and the MILF without any pre-conditions. There is the conscious effort among Churches' leadership and the NGO's and PO's in NOT making the present war religious and ethnic. They have played the crucial role in NOT allowing the machinations of a few to convert the war into religious and ethnic partisanships.
There were marches, peace caravans and peace fora organized in many cities in Mindanao (Cotabato, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Kidapawan and Koronadal) to call for an immediate stop to the waw. Though the call remained unheeded, there has been growing peace movement and constinuency in Mindanao and the Philippines – not only among Churches, Academe, NGO, PO but also among children (Kids for Peace). The statements calling for PEACE from individual Church leaders, Council and Conferences, NGO and PO are filling – all pointing to the reality of PEACE CONSTITUENCY. Kusog Mindanaw has taken the lead in convening a Mindanao-wide Leaders Summit Conference to face the issues surfaced by the war.
As the saying goes, the major casualties of the WAR are civilians. The Mindanao war has forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands. The problems and the needs of evacuees are stagering. Deaths in Refugee Camps, particularly of children, point to the ugly face of the war where civilians are simply considered COLLATERAL Damage. Maguindanao Public Health has reported over a hundred deaths only in the province of Maguindanao. Tabang Mindanaw has been the major NGO relief operations in Central Mindanao. The goodness of people in attending to the evacuees is reaching a dangerous "fatigue" level. Other relief operations for the displaced like ECDFC, Tripod, Kusog Mindanaw pitch in according to their sources in attending to the immediate needs of the evacuees.
Tabang Mindanaw has, for months, become the major relief service in Central Mindanao – bigger than Government. Tabang Mindanaw spends two million pesos a week while Government through its relief offices spend a measly million a week during the height of the war.
The issue of a possible resumption of Peace Talks and the desire to contribute to the debates on the
appropriate PEACE FORMULA has led to many interesting initiatives. Fora, Symposia,
Roundtable discussion and othe study and discussion groups have mushroomed both in Mindanao
and the National Capital Region and elsewhere (Bacolod and Cebu). Options, Alternatives,
Possible Constitutional Accomodation, Autonomy, Federalism are becoming common currencies as
people continue to debate on the issue of the BangsaMoro people. The various groups and
movement seek to address the aspiration of the BangsaMoro and the biases and bigotry that have
been surfaced by the present WAR. There is still a long way to go…but the ever increasing
participation of civil society in the actual debate on the Peace Formula is the fresh wind of change
that is blowing our way.
