Blowback, and crying havoc
August 18, 2008 by mlq3
Filed under Daily Dose
O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,
That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!
Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.
Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy,-
Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips,
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue-
A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use
And dreadful objects so familiar
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter’d with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
-Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Adel Tamano argues that,
In my view, the fatal flaw in the whole process of creating the MOA – even going beyond the constitutional issues and whether or not it was negotiated by the government in bad faith – is that the MOA was crafted in the shadows beyond the pale of public discussion and debate.Â
Which reflects the consensus, I suppose, on where the administration went wrong; but I am not convinced a hundred years of consultations or any administration expending political capital would get either side to budge. There are times when things just sort of fall into a kind of balance, uneasy at first, but which gradually becomes second nature and hence, while unofficial, semipermanent. This is the problem now; this where things had been for some years now, accounting, in large part, for both the sense of optimism until last year, in Christian Mindanao, and the gradual appearance of Moros in other parts of the country, where they began to engage in trade and even start setting down roots.
The focus of political attention was first, the Supreme Court and then, after several days’ avoiding the limelight, the return of the telltale sign of presidential tension, a bum stomach on Friday (but by Saturday, the President made an appearance in Pampanga to pitch constitutional amendments while the Deputy Spokesman denied what the Presidential Spokesman had confirmed the day before).
Apropos of the Supreme Court, blogging At Midfield, veteran journalist Ding Gagelonia boiled down the high court’s options to three:
First: The High Court will lift the TRO and toss out the petitions as premature given that the agreement has not been signed and that no actually illegal act has been committed, thus allowing the signing of the MoA-AD to proceed but with a caveat that it be immediately renegotiated;
Second: The Supreme Court will replace the TRO with a preliminary injunction stopping the MoA-AD altogether;
Third: The Court will toss the issue back to the Executive Department effectively removing the TRO on the ground that it is a political question, allowing the MoA to be signed after renegotiations.
The Inquirer editorial last Sunday pointed out, however, that it was a mistake to read to much into what some Justices vis a vis other Justices said during oral arguments. I have heard it said that the high court would rule as the President wished; and it may be that even as the President and the Justices wrestled with that dilemma, another presented itself. Which is, that even as the President was summoning her political troops to pursue another constitututional amendments offensive, her military troops were chomping at the bit in fury over the RP-MILF deal (I’ve heard it suggested by a retired senior officer, that the copies of the agreement obtained by media were leaked from Camp Aguinaldo).
Last Friday (August 15), ABC5 reporter Jove Francisco recounted in his blog, how the President made herself scarce, opting to huddle with officials:
The President may have opted to stay mostly inside the palace these past few days, but she’s been quite busy meeting with lawmakers, cabinet officials and LGU officials, too.
Their SUVs parked just outside the New Executive Building betrayed the supposed intent to make the meetings low key and under the media’s radar. (Some see this as a consolidation of forces at a time that there are moves to amend the constitution, especially because congressmen and local leaders have key roles in the whole process.)
I had to instruct my team to stake out in Laurel Street to monitor the President (if ever she’ll go out of the complex) and her visitors who come in and out of the gates. (To the chagrin of PSG members guarding the gates. But what can we do? Limited coverage or access to our subject just makes us more creative in thinking of ways to do our job…
The last time we saw PGMA was last Tuesday.
The day that she convened her cabinet and when the Timor Leste leader went to Malacanang for a state visit.
She was in red and she looked angry, if you ask me.
That was the day the Palace went Great Guns in favor of constitutional amendments, and (on that same day) in her blog, veteran reporter Ellen Tordesillas argued,
Remember four days before the Sona, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front pulled out the talks in Kuala Lumpur when the government bactracked from its earlier commitment of holding the plebiscite in the more than 700 barangays that would be included in the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity aside from the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao?
On the eve of the Sona, former Armed Forces chief Hermogenes Esperon, now presidential adviser on peace process, announced a “breakthrough†that enabled Arroyo to announce in her Sona “Last night, differences on the tough issue of ancestral domain were resolved.â€
An source close to the peace talks said the “breakthrough†was nothing more than the government agreeing to the demands of the MILF. Which makes one wonder why did they try to backtrack in the first place?
The source said the government really had no intention to sign the agreement but they want to maintain the hypocrisy in front of the MILF and other countries involved in the peace talks. The “Supreme Court scenario†was part of the plan.
Actually, the source said the government was hoping that the opposition would bring the issue to the Supreme Court. But the opposition was slow in reacting…
With the suspension of the signing of the MOA, the government was expecting the MILF to attack communities to justify Arroyo’s declaration of a state of emergency. But the MILF didn’t.
The source said the MILF occupation of the barangays in Pikit and Midsayap which was reported by Piñol and the military didn’t happen after the MOA signing was aborted in KL on Aug,. 5. As Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said in the press conference where they issued a 24 hour ultimatum for the MILF to withdraw, the rebels were there some two months before. “The MILF-and the Christians in the area have co-existed peacefully,†the source said.
Apparently, the MILF sense Malacañang’s ploy of making them the excuse for inciting hostilities to justify Arroyo’s emergency rule that could lead to her staying in power beyond 2010. They are not taking the bait. Instead of engaging in an all-out war with government forces, they opted for “repositioning†of the forces under one its most loyal commander, Ombra Kato.
Without a full-blown war in Mindanao and time running out for her, Arroyo has to crank up her Cha-Cha train. But with Cha-Cha, she may yet cause in a bigger scale, turmoil she has wished in Muslim Mndanao.
(The day before, or last Friday, Tony Abaya in his column echoed a similar though not identical line on the government and its Mindanao strategy)
Then last Saturday (August 16), blogging At Midfield, Ding Gagelonia revealed that sources had told him that the result of all the Palace huddles was that the deal’s a goner:
This writer has just confirmed from several highly placed sources that the deal to give the MILF a sovereignty-clothed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity is off, in the present form that It is configured in the initialed, but unsigned,Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD).
This writer’s sources said the move “to renegotiateâ€Â the MoA-AD was first admitted during yesterday’s in-chamber meeting of the high tribunal justices with lawyers of the oppositors and the government’s representatives.
The Palace let loose a trial balloon to see how the MILF and those emotionally and politically invested in supporting the Palace’s push for the RP-MILF agreement would react: the reaction was lukewarm, to put it positively:Â MILF silent on ‘NGO-led peace talks’Â
We have to consider the possibility that at this point, a cleavage might have occurred within the ranks of the MILF, between those still clinging to the hope the Palace would pursue the agreement, and those saying “we told you so, they’ve always been faithless, let us resume hostilities” camp. On that same day, as per Moroland’s Weblog, the theological basis for resistance in case the Supreme Court invalidated the agreement:
With the outbreak of hostilities between the AFP-PNP and MILF forces in Cotabato, its impact on the GRP-MILF MOA is still uncertain.
Lawyer members of the MILF Negotiating Panel told Luwaran: “The situation created by the outbreak of hostilities does not result from a breach invoked by the parties.â€
Nor is it because of withdrawal from the MOA or any prior agreements between GRP and MILF. The stumbling block is the so-called “politics of lawâ€. They said that Supreme Court is a “nonmajoritarian institution†for its legitimacy rest elsewhere than to implement the will of the people. Asked if people should be worried they said the specter of instability still haunts Mindanao (and) will not go away so long injustices and serious grievances of the Bangsamoro people are not addressed.
Even the moderates will have little reason then to warm up to the mindset of Supreme Court justices. Given that the TRO is set for oral argument before the Supreme Court yesterday August 15, for the MILF and Government negotiators two questions linger. What has sparked the outburst? And what can be done about it? MILF leaders are in no doubt as to the true reasons for the outburst spawned by the abortion of the signing of the MOA-AD.
Asked to comment, Muslim religious scholars (ulama) have issued this terse admonition: “Power without an attributable source causes unease. Solons are making a big mistake to rush in only to preempt the collective prerogatives of the Bangsamoro people.â€Â The ulama described the “angry mood†of Senator Mar Roxas seen on TV footage and so, they said, the motive is suspect. Taunting the former senate president, Khaled Musa says Frank Drilon has joined the petition to intervene in the TRO losing his statesman bearing to the call, all of a sudden, of his Ilonggo forebears.
The oral argument on MOA-AD before the Supreme Court throws into question powers not yet derived immediately from the principle of ‘advise and consent’ of the Senate, warns lawyer Datu Michael O. Mastura. Most serious still, according to Mastura, a former congressman, Senators Roxas and Drilon are inclined “to drag the Puno Court whose policy is judicial activism into the politics of law.â€Â
On Saturday, too, the Communist Party of the Philippines, for its part, in a statement, came out foursquare in support of secession, and confirming that indeed, there is an alliance between the MILF and CPP-NPA:
The MILF and the Bangsamoro are left with no other choice but to advance their revolutionary armed struggle to realize their right to national self-determination and the return of their homeland. At the same time, there is a need to heighten political work among the people in the affected areas as well as throughout the country in order to advance the understanding of the just and legitimate cause of the Bangsamoro struggle. Aside from struggling against the same basic problems suffered by the rest of the Filipino people, the Bangsamoro revolutionary forces have to struggle against the added particular burden of national oppression and chauvinism imposed on them by the rotten ruling system in the country. To be able to attain genuine full autonomy, they also need a contiguous restoration of their historic homeland snatched from them by oppressors.
The Communist Party of the Philippines calls on the revolutionary forces under its leadership to give full support to the struggle of the Bangsamoro for national self-determination and the return of their ancestral lands. All the more should the national-democratic revolutionary movement and the Bangsamoro revolutionary movement unite, deepen mutual understanding and heighten cooperation to advance their common and particular struggles against the same enemies–the US-Arroyo regime and the entire rotten, reactionary and oppressive semicolonial and semifeudal system prevailing throughout the country.
The CPP instructs the New People’s Army throughout the country to intensify tactical offensives against the fascist armed forces as a concrete step to support the resumption of the revolutionary armed struggle of the Bangsamoro as well as to take advantage of the present preoccupation of the enemy forces in fending off the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces.Â
The blowback came soon enough. On Saturday night, Bomb goes off near house of N. Cotabato vice gov’s brod. On Sunday (August 17) the breaking news came thick and fast: ambushes, bombings, maneuverings, hostage-takings. See this Monday (August 18) report: Moro rebels attack Mindanao villages.
Earlier, on August 17, Blogger Tiklaton, a student at Mindanao State University in Iligan City (where, according to the MILF, critics to the deal have mercenary motives), had this to say:
I never realized how serious the situation right now about bomb scares here in my place until I heard a news about the bombing here in our city not so long ago. It was after when me and my sisters came out from the church to go to Gaisano Mall and saw that all people were hurriedly walking away from the mall. We were curious. We want to find answers so we listened to some adults chatting about what happened. We listened and realized that the bomb scare in Iligan was not any more a scare but a reality.
Now it’s serious! There were two bombs exploded in the city. Are there dead? HHmmm..I’m not yet sure. But there were hurt. They were rushed to the hospital for medications and safety. I just can’t tell you how many of them were affected or victimized by that bombing. (What mom?.. … more than 10?), ooohh, my mother just told me now that there were more than ten that was hurt.
Oh no! Now it’s serious. It’s really serious! God help us! Protect us from harm and keep us away from danger! Bless all those bombers and I hope you will continue touching their hearts! Keep us safe! We believe in you God!
On August 18, Tiklaton then blogged,
It was this afternoon when our mayor announced that the classestomorrow for all levels here in our place is suspended due to the present “unkind” commmotion happening. The said commotion started yesterday when to bombs exploded in two lounging houses here in Iligan. In addition, it was early this dawn when some neighboring municipalities of Iligan City were invaded by some MILF. The dark dawn a while ago has become even darker when some families were killed and some were evacuated away from the danger zone. The main roads connecting some parts of Mindanano passing through Lanao del Norte were temporarily closed because of the unsafe situation. Since Iligan is also included in the threat because of that bomb yesterday and has become one of the evacuating places for a number of people from the affected municipalities, Iligan City was announced to be under the state of calamity. Calamity not by nature but calamity brought by man! So because of that, a curfew starting tonight from 10PM to 5AM was imposed to ensure safety for all.
Right at this very moment, it’s still quiet. I just don’t know what will happen tomorrow. I’ll just hope for the best and safety for everybody through prayers. I think that would be just the simple way I could do now.
See doctor-blogger preMEDitated about text messages (bearing rumors and from officials) in Iligan. The Stylus Master, originally from that city, reported on his family members’ situation:
We immediately contacted our family, friends, and relatives there. And true enough, the city is in a state of calamity. All the family are huddled together in my grandmother’s house, and they’re calling the other relatives to come over to hide there. My brother’s family is also packing their things to evacuate their area.
He then put forward a reaction to the MILF’s arguing hostilities were being undertaken by a “lost command”:
The upper heirachy of the MILF explained that the ones causing the trouble are ”lost command” MILF groups, and that they have no control over them.
That’s just terrible, and a cause for fear. And it’s ONE GOOD REASON to scrap their deal in the first place.
Cause if they can’t control their own people, who’s to guarantee that they can control them if the deal is pushed through?Â
The MILF had  tried to establish plausible deniability: MILF: Lanao del Sur ambush may be handiwork of 3rd party. (As for the MILF, for its updates and its opinion on what’s going on, see its official website,Luwaran.com) but in terms of public opinion, this may have backfired. Another blogger,  smoke puts it this way, in reaction to the “lost command” argument: “Enough talking already.” Blogger Jherskie puts it in stronger terms. In Notes of Marichu C. Lambino, the lawyer-blogger zeroes in on the MILF’s dilemma: the attacks that took place violated the agreement with the government brokered by the Malaysians in 2001. So it has to say subordinates acted without authorization.
Danton Remoto reported as follows on Sunday, concerning Lanao del Norte:
My campaign team in Lanao del Norte just texted that they are fleeing because the MILF took over their towns this morning. More than 20,000 people have fled. Some are taking their bancas to cross over from Lanao del Norte to Ozamiz City, on the other side of Northern Mindanao. Iligan City is on red alert. Fr. Regie Quijano of Kulambugan town has been killed by the MILF. Fr. Regie is a friend of our cause — human rights for all Filipinos, including LGBTs, and justice and peace for Mindanao. We should mourn his passing and pray for his soul.
Blogger Thoughts Encoded publishes this:
Update as of August 18,2008
9:34am
6 Priests and a couple of civilians were taken hostage by the MILF rebels. Their status is still uknown. Arsons and massacres are happening now in Kauswagan, Lanao Del Norte.
Blogger nydrad, whose family is from Lanao del Norte, hopes peace will be restored:
my trip on lanao del norte, mindanao, our province, would not be pursued anymore on friday, i think, to think that my mom already bought us a ticket…
with the MILF attacking our province, with my so much surprise, that to i think it was far away from north cotabato…
just earlier this morning, Iligan City and Kolambangan, was attacked! bomb explosion there, killing there, what a chaos! i have many relatives there! and my mom is now worried, kept on calling my lola on what was their situation there, and from what i heard now, the way on our home there, was closed already, and my lola and tito badi’s [my mom's brother]family, have been evacuated by army’s now…
im restless… especially watching the news now… the army have already declared an war on MILF!i don’t want to think of the worse, but i kept on thinking the “IF’s”
oh, pls. pray for the peace in mindanao now, this won’t do any good…
And yet, in Katapagan (another town in Lanao del Norte),as recounted by Plan BÂ on Monday morning:
well the milf (moro islamic liberation front) forces are inching towards kapatagan this evening. all the male residents were called to a meeting to discuss the events of the day and to prepare them for the coming violence and troubles ahead. in many ways it is good my family is here in manila instead of there. in other ways it is REAL GOOD we didn’t go there last week to visit, otherwise we would be stuck in the south. all modes of transportation have been cut off and discontinued. the concern right now is with family and friends down there, who are unable to leave. this is an uneasy night, no one will be able to sleep well at all.
despite the troubling events of this evening, my aunt and uncles still got together to chat and spend time together. these events are unfortunately, common, in the town where my family is from (lanao del norte). that is why I haven’t been able to go home in more than 25 years. we had a mini family reunion even though our hearts are heavy with concern and fear.
See also, A Girl’s Notebook  and fall for you, for a glimpse of how young people both outside and in the area, are reacting to the news.
As for the President, Arroyo: ‘Defend every inch of Philippine territory’ came the pronunciamiento, letting slip the dogs of war. The MILF beat a tactical retreat: MILF orders pullout of rebels in Lanao Norte towns (as of today, August 18). Those interested in building a peace constituency are now faced with the reality that a military offensive is popular, nationwide, and with public confidence in the President shaken as it is, she will have to out-do Estrada and not rein in the armed forces.
Blogger Blog@AWBHoldings.com, takes to task Bong Montesa’s scenario-building, taking Montesa’s “game tree” which you’ve seen before, and amending it:
And also disagreeing with Montesa’s promotion of the BangsaMoro as a First Nation. Montesa had argued,Â
If the Bangsamoro people is indeed a First Nation, a people unto themselves who are distinct from the rest of the national communities, then it is logical that the Bangsamoro people possess inherent and unequivocal rights which are demandable from the Philippine State, irrespective of whether these rights are found in the Philippine Constitution or not. In fact, it is imperative that if these rights are not found or protected in the Philippine Constitution that the Philippine State should initiate a process to entrench these rights. If the “rules†of the game do not, at present, allow these rights, then “new rules†must be put in place. This, as I have already stated, is the essence of peace talks – negotiating for “new rulesâ€, to change the present “rulesâ€.
If one accepts the statement that the Bangsamoro people is a “distinct people†and a “First Nation†then it follows that they have the following basic rights:
1. The right to self-determination.
2. The right to freely determine their political status.
3. The right to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
4. The right to freely dispose their natural wealth and resources.
5. The right not to be deprived of its own means of subsistence.The MOA is nothing but the explicitation, the articulation, and the enfleshing of the basic rights mentioned above. The MOA is the operationalization of the
inherent right to self-determination.Of course, if one does not agree with this first principle and foundation, then we will have divergent opinion on the MOA on AD and more. We should always respect our differences but we must try to understand where we differ and I think most of our disagreements stem from our disagreement with this first principle and foundation.
While blogger AWBHoldings.com explained why he’s unimpressed (and possibly, resentful):
…how I wish he posted his proofs, not what-ifs. The problem with his First Nation is that many will dispute the notion – some will say the lumads comprise the First Nation, etc.
And lastly – he is being pretentious if he thinks the MILF represents the entire people of Mindanao. The fact that there are Mindanaoans who are opposing the MoA AD belies his illusion. He, together with the Arroyo Administration panel, should have first consulted all stakeholders before shoving the country in a corner. The fact that he called most reactions are emotional speaks of his short-sightedness and tunnel vision. His ignorance of the total picture of the Mindanao situation has actually EXACERBATED the tension instead of easing it.
I am all for peace, but at what cost? The comparison between the MoA AD and Chamberlain’s capitulation at Munich is somewhat apt – we will not have peace and we will have war. That is the cost of peace that Mr. Montesa and the likes want to impose on us.
This is actually something all-to-familiar, in terms of otherwise sincere proponents of peace and reform, who then get so emotionally engaged in achieving their dream, that they remain blind to the Faustian Bargain that made it possible. Instead, they not only get nothing, but set their own cause back, as they have become identified with the President. Jose Abueva learned this, and bitterly acknowledged it on my show; Bong Montesa and others are experiencing it, now.
Meanwhile, from August 19-21, Mindanao, Palawan Lumads to Gather in Oro to Discuss GRP-MILF Ancestral Land Deal. Blogger bits and pieces says that if anyone can claim First Nation status, it’s the lumads; but the proper context is our evolution as present-day Filipinos:
For me it’s not a matter of being the Christians or Muslims governing Mindanao. Let us think of our history. Let us trace back our heritage. We were not the Muslim or Christian that branded us today. We were the lumads. we were the same indigenous people. We were the same people long way before Islam and Christianity came into our land. Yes, you are a Muslim or a believer in Christ today, but you were the same people who worshiped the moon yesterday.
Mindanao, so to speak, is our ancestral domain whether you are a Christian, a lumad or a Muslim. Christians do not own Mindanao. Muslim too. Even the lumads. It’s all ours.
Meanwhile, some responses to my recent column, and the immediate past entry on this blog, concerning foreign interests in Mindanao. First, from Scriptorium:
I wish to mention the 2 other geopolitical currents that are relevant to the issue: the present pan-Islamic Reformation, and the accelerating retreat of Western power.Â
(On a note related to the above, David Kaiser, historian and blogger at History Unfolding, proposes that the world is entering a period of instability reminiscent of the 1930’s) And  from the nutbox, also responding to my putting forward that Malaysia’s motivated by dreams of a “Greater Malaysia”:
That this “Greater Malaysian Federation†will make for “a large, extremely wealthy, country†is, I think, an understatement. I believe it would be a dominant regional power in this part of the world.
This regional power would control the sea lanes where oil exports from the Middle East to China, Northeast Asia and the United States pass through; as well as the potential oil and gas reserves of Sulu Sea and Liguasan Marsh. Should this regional power assertively claim more lands in Mindanao, the Philippines would be defenseless.
And this regional power, by the way, would be against the United States. Which is why I agree with Quezon when he said that among the priorities of the United States in the Mindanao conflict is containing Malaysia.
Of course, as I have said in my previous post, the Americans have their own designs in Mindanao too. But these designs stand in the way of Kuala Lumpur’s. This is why the Malaysians have consistently rejected the idea of the United States being part of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), which, in turn, is the reason why Washington had to resort to using the United States Institute of Peace to work in Mindanao and Sulu for its interests. Â
and from Miriam Coronel-Ferrer. And on an earlier piece, from  Strengtheners Headquarters Domain.
With regards to the domestic consequences of all this: the Palace declaration of All Systems Go for constitutional amendments; the President putting herself behind a military offensive in Mindanao, and so on, I don’t know if I can be as optimistic as Mon Casiple:
The Malacañang ploy of endorsing the Pimentel resolution on federalism backfired and earned for its pains a resurgent anti-Cha-cha movement. This particular poison called “extension of GMA stay-in-power†has now fatally affected three current major national initiatives, one after the other: political settlement with the MILF through MOA-AD, federalism through the Pimentel resolution, and charter change through a constituent assembly.
Whatever the merits of these initiatives, proponents should admit that these are now politically dead where they stand–the killing bolt shot from the bolt of widespread public resistance. It is now time to go back to the drawing board. However, the one lesson learned is that the people will not support nor tolerate any major national initiative or policy that is perceived to be in aid of GMA’s continued occupation of Malacañang beyond 2010.
It ain’t over until it’s over. As recently as the State of the Nation Address, when I immediately pointed out the President had opened a Pandora’s Box by announcing an Ancestral Domain agreement and giving the go-ahead for constitutional change, foreign and domestic colleagues were dismissive, skeptical, or more focused on other things. Her motto could well be: try, there is no fail.
Update, August 19: Bob Martin gives a report from the ground and hopes things stop inching towards Davao City:
Last week, whenFeyma and I went to Digos, as I reported in my post about Pomelo, on our way home to Davao, we saw a LOT of Army vehicles, including armored vehicles moving toward North Cotabato. The skirmishes there were quite real, believe me. This past weekend there was more action. On Sunday, Iligan City experienced three bombings, one of which was in a hotel there. There were plenty of injuries there due to the bombings. A lot of people are speculating that MILF people perpetrated these bombings.
Yesterday (Monday) was a big day, though. Many attacks happened all around Lanao del Norte Province, including in Iligan City. Seven farmers were killed in cold blood by MILF, six other civilians, and seven Army personnel. President Arroyo addressed the Nation on TV at mid-day and said the the actions of the MILF were tantamount to a declaration of war inMindanao. In addition, MILF rebels attacked Maasim town in Sarangani Province. I have been to each of these places that came under attack, and have visited each of the places multiple times, so I am quite familiar with not only Maasim, but the areas in Lanao del Norte that were attacked as well.
For their part, the MILF spokesman stated that the attacks were not “sanctioned†by the MILF. At the same time, though, the MILF leadership ordered their people to stop the attacks. By making this order, it would seem that the MILF is admitting that it is their people who are behind these horrid actions. This means that either the MILF sanctioned the attacks, or that they do not have control over their people. No matter which is the reason, should the GRP be negotiating with the MILF if they can’t even control their own people? Giving away part of Mindanao to these people? What is the MILF giving in return. Supposedly, the MILF is giving peace to the government, but what we are seeing right now is not peace, you can be certain of that.
I have a lot of very good friends in Iligan, and I wish them nothing but the best. I hope that they and their families remain safe, and that nobody is injured or killed.
So far, I consider Davao to be very safe. But, some of these things (particularly the problems in North Cotabato) are getting close to the City. I have a lot of confidence in Mayor Duterte, though, and if anybody can keep the city safe, Mayor Duterte is the one. Right now, I have no reason to think about leaving the area, and I doubt that it would come to that. But, things are getting somewhat worrisome for the area, and hopefully things can be calmed before things flare up any further.
Blogger Placeholder asks, if it must be war, are those who led us down the path to war, the same ones who should prosecute it? He makes an apt comparison with how the British dispensed with Neville Chamberlain:
- Those responsible for getting us into this predicament cannot be the same ones to lead us out of it. At the very least, no one deserves to die just to further their agenda. In the UK, for example,Neville Chamberlain had to be replaced byWinston Churchill.
- Related to this, we need to strengthen the Philippine Military by purging it of officers who acted as hired bodyguards of the present leadership and reinstate those who embody its true ideals and know how to fight.
- Instead of relying on private armies, vigilante groups, all those fighting on the government side should be regularized. This is to prevent the problem of having to deal with private warlord armies in the aftermath.
- Any conflict would not be isolated to Mindanao, so prepare for a general mobilization. Considerconscription.
- My fellow bloggers seem to be confident that the MILF does not represent the Muslim people and are no more than bandits. I’m not so sure but even granting that premise, the conduct of the war should be such that we take care not to make this a generalized Christian vs. Muslim conflict. It will be difficult to do this once bombs start going off in Manila, but the Government, Media and Civil Society groups (Secular, Christian and Muslim) should prepare for this. If necessary, laws againstHate Speech must be promulgated.   Â
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PSI on Mon, 18th Aug 2008 8:57 pm
A devastation indeed. For crying out loud, what happened to the peace? The whole thing unraveled in just two weeks, from almost a done deal on August 5th, now its seems all bets are off on the MOA on ancestral domain.
There’s obviously bad faith when the MILF leadership says they continue to look for peace while their troops commiting terrorist acts are termed renegade bands. Not that GRP was all forthcoming making promises which could not be delivered. because of the Constituional prohibition. A real big disaster.
Maybe peace in Southwestern Mindanao is really an elusive dream. Time to give war another chance?
PhilwomenianRebel on Mon, 18th Aug 2008 9:39 pm
This is all too disturbing to even intake in one go… But I cannot condone that those attempts for invasion by the MILF for the concept of peace. Why deal with one armed group, when you can deal with everyone at one go.
Part of Mindanao goes to the Muslims, and we get a lot more pesos back into our funding, thus having more funds to spend on social services, just as long as we don’t give them an inch of land from Palawan.
War isn’t really advisable right now, since our military equipment are barely able to take on a full-scale offensive. Although, nice thought PSI, but then again, it’s not happening, because too many are weary of war. I don’t want to get drafted by the 6-footer into a war, for her own wants…
WAN tester on Mon, 18th Aug 2008 9:46 pm
Philwomenian: stay away from the war, you can’t contribute.
But do know that there are a few (maybe even more than a few) Filipinos who are getting reminded again that the MILF’s approach to peace is village-burning, kidnap-for-ransom and infantile tantrums (which they demonstrate by invading villages and ethnic cleansing).
Stupid the Mindanawans who believe that the region will attain peace when the world gives the MILF the sole authority to provide peace-keeping-kuno and police operations.
WAN tester on Mon, 18th Aug 2008 9:53 pm
And by the way, that technique —– letting loose a few
“rebel commands” that can commit more atrocities without supposedly a direct link to the political leadership — is a classic technique.
And has anyone ever seen an instance when the banigsamoro political leadership made a plea for these “rebel commands” to stop?
cvj on Mon, 18th Aug 2008 10:57 pm
The CPP-NPA’s support for the MOA would explain Satur’s presence in the aborted signing, along with the Americans. Strange bedfellows. Anyway, it’s all too easy for those with no skin in the game to say “time to give war another chance”. Depending on how much the MILF values the support of the Americans and Malaysians, the war will eventually reach Metro Manila, maybe even your neighborhood Starbucks.
PSI on Mon, 18th Aug 2008 11:34 pm
cvj,
I don’t know what you’re trying to prove but people notice. From being an OA pro-poor advocate, to such a liberal in giving away private property, and now a peacenik in Singapore while people (also very poor) are being killed and brutalized.
A Benign0 would have it, GET REAL!!!
cvj on Mon, 18th Aug 2008 11:40 pm
PSI, i’m just saying that war is not going to be pretty so hold the popcorn. I’m continuously amazed at how middle class folks like you advocate things that are not in your interest. Besides, if it has to be war, then we should go about it the right way.
PSI on Mon, 18th Aug 2008 11:53 pm
cvj,
War dirty? Oh common, didn’t the whole of mankind know this?
And please, do not disparage the middle class. Those who stayed behind are keeping the sanity in this country, for the moment at least.
KG on Mon, 18th Aug 2008 11:59 pm
CVJ,
It never ceases to “amaze” me that a middle class like you advocate for things not in your interest.
I know that is an oxymoron but you started it.
cvj on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 12:03 am
PSI, yeah you know it but despite that, you still say ‘bring it on’. Isn’t that foolish? As for not disparaging the middle class, sure you can appeal but i don’t have to comply. I’m free to disparage your foolishness, for the moment at least.
jcc on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 12:04 am
HERE IS MY AUG. 11 POST AT PCIJ DAILY
As I always say, I like Prof. Perfecto Fernandez when it comes to analyzing constitutional realities.
What are the realities here?
The issue is political and therefore beyond the province of the court. The right of the executive department to enter into a “peace negotiation†with anybody is not the business of the court.
But if the “peace negotiation†touches on giving up “territorial sovereignty†it becomes justiciable.
Here is the catch: the MOA is only a working guideline on how the two parties will agree on the finer points of “parceling out†the Philippine Archipelago, no parceling out has been done yet.
So the issue is ripeness. Are the petitioners entitled to a relief for an “expected injury?†Or will they be injured if the country is parceled out?
Any lawyer will tell you No. You are not entitled to a relief for a “future injury†nor are you a foreseeable plaintiff in the eyes of the law.
But what are the constitutional realities?
If the government position is that it should have never agreed in the “peace process†in the first place, expect the Court to rule on the issue as a justiciable issue and rule that the intended “peace plan†is unconstitutional.
But if the government desires to have a “lasting peace†with the MNLF/MILF/ARMM, expect the court to throw the petition as “non-justificiable†or even on issue of ripeness.
So it boils down to the issue of what the government really wants ! ! !
So here is what the government or GMA wants. If enough politicians will back her up in the “peace processâ€, the government will go for it, but if not, she will go against it. The SC will always take GMA’s side because whatever side it is, the SC can always argue both sides with same pedantic flair anyway.
Public opinion really does not matter in Philippine politics. It is always political convenience that matters.
But where did anyone get the idea that MILF desires peace? It wants power and the subjugation of people who do not think like them. The moment it has its own territory in its clutch and declares a State of Mindanao in the future, expect it to drive away the Christians from their so-called “ancestral landsâ€. This is political reality pure and simple.
cvj on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 12:05 am
Karl (at 11:59 pm), like what?
PSI on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 12:35 am
cvj,
Foolishness? Hvrds called some commenters here as just functionally literate.
A little information is dangeorus. Be circumspect.
KG on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 1:10 am
It is my way of saying that you cannot be an advocate of something that does not concern you.
to be an advocate you must be an active supporer and you must walk your talk.
I just hate it when you say “middle class like you”, you are already pointing fingers and since you are also a middle class; the saying that when you point at someone ,three fingers are pointing back at you ,very well applies.
I think you are already being a bigot against the middle class.
i have nothing against your dreams for a better philippines but to keep on pointing to the middle class,the elite and whatnot as if all the blame is always on them is just nuts.
on the topic at hand, i know many people don’t like the MOA . Included are the rich muslim and christian politcians dahil mababawasan ang power nila somehow,among other reasons.
ok I am sorry,kung medyo nainis ako.
anthony scalia on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 1:13 am
PSI,
“Maybe peace in Southwestern Mindanao is really an elusive dream. Time to give war another chance?”
probably. the MILF won’t drop their arms. its really a wonder how come the military could not eradicate the MILF, MNLF, JI, ASG with their much superior firepower.
war truly is big business
UP n student on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 1:20 am
to PSI: … the MILF…. isn’t it doing it already — geographic cleansing???? Even cvj will not mistake the burning of villages as an anti-dengue/anti-malaria action by the MILF yo send away the mosquitoes.
anthony scalia on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 1:20 am
Kevin Garnett,
“i have nothing against your dreams for a better philippines but to keep on pointing to the middle class,the elite and whatnot as if all the blame is always on them is just nuts.”
the tragedy of it all is that they don’t see it as nuts. the bigger tragedy is that that is the attitude of a good number of Pinoys, blaming anyone but themselves. unfortunately, Pinoys with such attitudes get to be featured always in media, giving the impression that their nutsy attitude is the way to go
i’ve been hearing manifestations of that attitude for over 20 years:
ibagsak rehimeng US-Marcos
ibagsak rehimeng US-Aquino
ibagsak rehimeng US-Ramos
ibagsak rehimeng US-Erap
ibagsak rehimeng US-Arroyo
nash on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 1:45 am
Salamat naman at natauhan si Musharaff at nag-resign.
Si Gloria kaya? I wonder what her letter to the new Pakistani leader will be like….
Bencard on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 2:01 am
if adel tamano could cite any “peace agreement” in all of history that had been first subjected to “public discussion” before being even proposed, then he would be of much help. otherwise, he would be just another follower of drilon’s and roxas’ obviously political word play, i.e. appeal to the gullible and unsophisticated. all three of them, i’m sure, are aware that the moa is an incomplete document that requires for its effectiveness and enforceability the fulfillment of the conditions specified . foremeost of these requirements are public discussions, education and consultations, eventually leading to its submission to a plebiscite where every qualified electorate can vote for or against it.
at the risk of being simplistic, i would say the peace agreement must be viewed in the context of an agreement between the police and a large group of heavily-armed criminals, to try to stop the latter from inflicting more harm to the community. as to what the police could give in exchange for peace, that would depend on, or subject to, the will and consent of the majority of the people.
meanwhile, let not the communists and leftist “anti-war” extremists, including so-called “human rights” activists, tie the hands of the government in prosecuting a decisive, resolute punitive action in defense of the law and the constitution. whatever is the excuse, all unlawful armed aggression must be crushed without compromise.
cvj on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 2:01 am
KG, what doesn’t concern me? What goes on in my country concerns me just as it concerns you. The reason why i am aggressive at criticizing the Middle Class is precisely because i belong to it and i know that it could have done better had it not been so self-serving and shortsighted.
If you look at the slow but sure descent into our present situation, who could’ve stopped it? Hindi ba ang Middle Class, way back in 2005? Instead, they chose to ‘move on’…with “We are prepared to lose our freedoms and our rights just to move this country forward.” and all that crap. That’s why we are where we are.
cvj on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 2:03 am
Take note of Bencard’s “meanwhile”.
jcc on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 2:40 am
“It is my way of saying that you cannot be an advocate of something that does not concern you”. — KG..
Not true. Every Filipino has the inherent right to participate in any debate that involves the Filipino people. It is his civic-duty to to do so.
Patriotism is not class specific. It is not the monopoly of the working poor, neither of the middle class or of the profligate rich.
Bin Laden is an heir to a fortune of a rich Saudi contractor, but has decided to go to the mountains to spew his terrorists views against the very system that made his clan rich.
BrianB on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 3:27 am
If Gloria were a US president (who obviously isn’t a Bush), they’d put her in jail for acting like a Queen.
Bencard on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 3:38 am
brianb, you can’t put anyone , including a president, to jail just like that even in the u.s.. your sarcasm aint makin’ it.
BrianB on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 4:06 am
If a president thinks he owns the country like a King he should be.
BrianB on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 4:12 am
Gloria hates Filipinos. Why? Because they hate her. She is no martyr or patriot. Pride is paramount to her personality. A Filipino president should have sympathy and empathy. She’s acting like a tyrannical CEO expecting only professional behavior from her underling. And she must think we are all her employees. Just look at how she has manipulated the MILF and the people of Mindanao to serve her ends. She knows no boundaries. Even Erap has his limits. If she thinks she can get away with it, she’ll do it.
Allister on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 5:30 am
Hi MLQ3,
I am both amused and embarassed when you linked to my blog post with the phrase “a military offensive is popular”.
Amused because I’m not sure I offered a statistically significant sample of the public opinion in Mindanao, notwithstanding the fact that I now work abroad.
Embarassed because I let my emotions take over when I posted on my blog. But I hope that you and other readers understand my anguish and frustration.
I was in Iligan the last time the “renegade” MILF hacked and burned towns in Lanao del Norte. We could hear the explosions just across the river from my parents’ house. We waited with fear and silent anger at night with no electricity when the bastards blew up power lines. Many people died. But many years hence, no justice has been served.
When I wrote the blog post, on the night after MILF units attacked towns in Lanao del Norte, I’ve just received a text message from my wife that electricity is down again.
I can see that these events are very interesting for a student of politics and history (reminds me of Ollivander’s fascination with Lord Voldemort and his wand). I just want to remind everyone: please be sensitive when you post your theories and what-nots because we are suffering in Mindanao.
I wasn’t critical of the BJE when it first came out — obviously because I haven’t digested the implications yet. I still haven’t fully understood the MOA-AD now. But we can all agree that it’s now dead. Gone with the lives of people killed by “renegade” MILF units.
Giving the benefit of doubt, if they were indeed renegades, then how can we expect MILF to handle the BJE when it cannot even handle its own troops? I am more inclined, however, to believe that the MILF heads actually ordered the assault in Lanao del Norte to ease the pressure that they’re getting in North Cotabato. This is exactly what happened the last time. However you look at it, these events just demonstrate the lack of moral ascendancy of the MILF. And the people of Mindanao don’t need to exchange a corrupt leadership in Manila for a more brutal murderous leadership just a few kilometers away.
BrianB on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 6:10 am
Kaya nga buwisit talaga? Do you think they will jail a Muslim killed a Christian? These are not Muslims per se or a political organization just bandits. How can you bargain with people that does not want to give up anything. What did they offer for the proposed peace agreement?
Lokohan lang lahat. I think government and some officials in the military are being paid to leave the MILF in tact. They can’t do anything about the incursions because they have no military plan in the territory. The only possible peace here is through overwhelming miltary force.
leytenian on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 6:31 am
On Jove Francisco’s:
“The hot issue? The President’s revival of Charter Change.
(sabi ng isang reporter: bumuhay si Pangulo ng bangkay)
It was a morning that is quite nightmarish for the administration especially if they listened to the morning AM radio shows where a lot of criticisms about the revival of CHA-CHA were heard. ”
I cannot believe some reporters until now do not understand the benefits of Federalism except just attack Gloria as the evil bitch. This type of one sided opinion is not professional or ethical…
here’s the other side of the story….
“Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr on Tuesday assured that Joint Resolution No. 10, which proposed a shift to a federal form of government, will not be used by President Arroyo to prolong her stay in power beyond 2010.”
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/113266/Pimentel-Federalism-will-not-allow-term-extension-for-Arroyo
“With the two chambers voting separately, the opposition-led Senate can block attempts to extend the term of Mrs. Arroyo and other elected national and local officials.”
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW081908/content.php?id=077
“Federalism not linked to GMA term”
As I look at the debate reflected in media reports, it seems that some people are out to confuse the public. Or they may just be grandstanding. I have this feeling that this advocacy of Pimentel to shift to federal form is being destroyed by linking it to the term of office of the incumbent president. Does it really have to be linked?”
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/aug/14/yehey/opinion/20080814opi2.html
Does one really think that Gloria will extend her term? Give me one good reason why she would want to? She’s not as powerful as you think. I think the Senate who are mainly from manila are very insecure that their jobs will never be there because Federalism recruits local polictians.. In my opinion.. the senator of region viii is not needed in my province…. I’d rather elect my own senator who can speak my dialect and understand our industry strength and weaknesses. Secondly, I’;d rather have my province be managed by someone who lives in my province. I can directly attack him if he screws up….
Nothing has changed in this country because our educators cannot educate…. the educators in our country is actually the media…. it confuses the poor.
UP n student on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 6:52 am
a blog-poster writes, and I agree :
Exchange “corrupt” for “incompetent”… still same conclusion — .and it is obvious that the current separatist leadership is incompetent. Exhibit : can’t control their “lost commands” who burn and pillage and do cleansing exercises.
leytenian on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 7:01 am
“Very Negative media coverage on the peace process scares many people and even investors. Instead of reporting some balance of positive reporting, everything is negative… ” and the people do the same and blame Gloria… OMG.
“Like other concerned sectors of society, mass media practitioners play a crucial role in forging peace in a world that seems to be preoccupied with violence. Mass media practitioners can either make or break Mindanao with what and how they report events and activities, especially in something complicated like a peace process.”
http://www.socyberty.com/Issues/Media-Ethics-and-the-Mindanao-Crisis-in-the-Philippines.113173
“people are silent victims of the media. ”
http://www.filipinovoices.com/media-confidential
“a content analysis of 11 Manila-based newspapers to determine their coverage of religious and ethnic minority groups. The findings of the content analysis – showing that minority cultural, religious and ethnic groups still remain underreported in the national press and that the media coverage is very capital-centred – were published in the inaugural issue of the PJR Report. ”
http://www.unesco-ci.org/cgi-bin/ipdcprojects/page.cgi?g=Detailed%2F772.html;d=1
thegreatest on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 7:05 am
Funny the question asked was “…peace at what price?”
it’s not that there is a price for peace, it is just at this point, war is cheaper.
UP n student on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 7:06 am
What the people of Mindanao needs is normalcy. Red again today’s Inquirer news report about when these MILF terrorists invaded Kauswagan, Kolambugan and several other Lanao villages Shooting randomly into civilians” homes; shooting at buses filled with civilians. Then running away in traditional MILF-fashion — using civilians as human shields.
I can not understand how the likes of cvj can ask for anything else other than strong police action against these thugs bearing rifles and bolos!!!!. And ransom-notes.
KG on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 8:37 am
JCC,
I looked at the dictionary, and you are correct. to advocate for something does not need all out active support;just an opinion or argument in its favor, is enough to be called an advocacy.
CVJ and I go wayback here ,that is why sometimes OA na ang tingin ko.
and btw,thanks for the correction.
CVJ back in2005 sa tingin ng tao pwede pa madaan sa impeachment because of the erap impeachment na bumaligtad ang majority ;pero hindi ganun ang nagyari.
I remmember saying in this blog na I will accept what ever happens to be honest akala ko talaga maimpeach sya.
that maybe naive of me pero hindi ako nag iisa.
the composition of the majority lower house is really in favor of gMA no matter what the middle class did not do.
after 2005 of course 2007 came and still the middle class(together with the others) opted for a composition of the lower house that is pro gloria.
ok I know you will say that comelec can not be trusted and or binili ng mga politiko ang mga boto.
with your recent comments on automation you don’t trust the comelec as much as an atty JCC does not trust our judiciary
maybe that is why you advocate for a direct democracy through people power.
I am sorry but even oakwood failed because it was backed by erap; I know this because before my dad knew,.Kit Tatad and Peter Wallace already knew aboout it and ayaw pa nga maniwala ni erpat that time.and that was one day before Oakwood. it has a civilian component na di na lumabas.Gringo has nothing to do with it,but he was idolized by the magdalos.
as for the pen.who ever was handling Montayre et al .was responsible for it.
sorry, even people power is controlled by the elite.
easy ka lang sa middle class dumadami na sila dahil nababawasan na ang mga milyonaryo.
leytenian on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:33 am
MILF and why?
1. it has become their WAY OF LIFE.
2. feel they have been humiliated and treated as “second class” by government authorities and others.
3. the young, uneducated become the foot soldiers and manage by educated operatives.
The absence of (1.) accountable government and (2) dispute over contested territory are common factors to the rise of religious extremism. The twisted-educated extremist is responsible for fundraising to provide financial incentives for new recruits and access to weapons…
“I would rather have a Philippines run like hell by Filipinos than a Philippines run like heaven by the Americans”
OR
“.the filipinos are run like hell by extremists…”
Kutkkut on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:39 am
The initiatives were with Kato and Bravo. They are exercising their mettle in their federal reserves. True vanguards for their people. They painted another page of military strategy book for reference of military students and those at GHQ.
hvrds on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 10:07 am
Objective criterion of reality.
Soft power/hard power but what happens when there is limited power to either utilize both.
The fact that there are thousands of men with arms is the effect of years of festering problems unresolved.
Yup, defend every inch of territory…. In reality the AFP would be hard pressed to use the steel glove it does not possess. Battling an insurgency would require more assets (men and logistics) that the country does not have.
The lines of battle are unclear. After Erap destroyed the fixed bases of the MILF (they were still in pre-world war 1 fixed positions) they reverted to breaking up their forces over large areas.
Hence men with guns who have to live off the land will tend to also live off the people. The thin line between maintaining insurgencies and banditry is crossed.
Add the potent mix of Al Qaeda into the brew and you have a witches cocktail.
What is worse is both sides of the equation (MILF and the state) are not cohesive entities that can sit across a table representing their sides.
It really is a witches brew……..
Mar Roxas had better take it easy as he seems to be trying to use this as his jumping off platform for his run to the top.
BrianB on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 10:48 am
“I cannot believe some reporters until now do not understand the benefits of Federalism except just attack Gloria as the evil bitch. This type of one sided opinion is not professional or ethical…”
Do you really want a Philippine version of a Mississippi state?
leytenian on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 11:12 am
“Do you really want a Philippine version of a Mississippi state?”
brainb, try reading the link.. take your time to think about it…
Q: What type of federalism is suited for the Philippines?
A: The type of federalism suited for the Philippines can be determined only through discussion, consultation and debate among our people. The Philippines can develop its own unique model of federalism based on the various models that have been adopted by other countries.
Q: Will federalism solve all our problems?
A: No, federalism will not solve all our problems. However, in the face of all our problems, it will allow people to take greater control over their own lives and satisfy their preferences – WHAT THEY REALLY WANT
http://www.kas.de/proj/home/pub/69/2/year-2002/dokument_id-3228/index.html
number cruncher on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 2:17 pm
Happy Quezon Day! Was trying to spot you during the telecast, but I don’t know if you would be there given the current, um, dispensation… Hehehe!
Regarding your column today, there was an item on Pedro Molina who was expelled from PMA for hazing. His name rung a bell in my dad’s history books, so I dug around a bit. Turns out he became a war hero and eventually became Chief of the Philippine Air Force from 1957-1962, at a time when we had more planes than pilots… *sigh* (He then became the Vice Chief of Staff from 1962-1963, when he retired as a Major General).
Here’s the link for your reference (which I’m sure you already have): http://www.paf.mil.ph/CGPAF/molina.html
Tio Paeng on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 3:02 pm
leytenian, careful in giving examples of media personalities here. it only shows that you don’t watch them at all. mali ang impression mo. the specific reporter you quoted actually gives the president ample space in his blog or in his reports. di lang yan puro tira. basahin mo muna o panuorin. i’ve been reading his work and watching his reports on tv. malayo sa katotohanan ang sinasabi mo. maraming katulad niya sa media. wag ka lang puro push ng sarili mo agenda okay? manuod ka kaya? o magbasa? baka missed out mo ang context ng reports.
nash on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 3:04 pm
“I cannot believe some reporters until now do not understand the benefits of Federalism except just attack Gloria as the evil bitch. This type of one sided opinion is not professional or ethical…â€
O siya, siya. Pagbigyan.
Can SOMEONE then please give as an example a country/government/state that has achieved an economic turnaround by a simple change in the form of government?
cvj on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 3:46 pm
What makes you say that i’m against strong police action? By all means, the military has to do what they have to do. As i mentioned above (at August 18th, 2008 at 11:40 pm) and elaborated in my blog, we have to go about it the right way. BTW, it would be foolish to underestimate the MILF’s arsenal.
Karl (at at 8:37 am), what you mentioned are rationalizations on why the Middle Class did not (or could not) act. It does not change the fact that we are where we are because of middle class inaction, and i’m not even talking about Oakwood or the Pen. My point is, why did we even have to wait for the political class to orchestrate such actions?
Marcelo on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 4:57 pm
The trouble is, all governments engaged in difficult and intricate peace negotiations involving internal insurgencies or civil wars are going to have to take major political risks. It is simply untrue historically that peace agreements are always thoroughly discussed by the publics concerned before they are initially concluded. The whole enterprise often depends on whether a government can rally a country once a draft — or an outline — has been agreed upon (presumably the other side — or sides —- will have to do the same with its/their followers).
In addition, the comparison with the capitulation of Chamberlain to Hitler in the infamous Munich compromise is not a very apt analogy to what is happening in Mindanao. In the first place, it would not be clear to the proverbial objective third party from Mars who the actual aggressor in Mindanao is, given the fact that the Philippines is many times larger than any possible BJE “homeland,” and that the MILF has very deftly exploited the imagery of an oppressed minority to the absolute hilt (as, indeed, did the MNLF before it and as, I am sure, other groups will continue to do in the future).
Perhaps the long and tortured process that led to Irish independence and to the Good Friday Agreement for Northern Ireland is a better and more instructive comparison.
We also need to reflect carefully, in order not to commit tactical political errors, on this adroit exploitation of “victimhood” that is so closely associated with the Bangsamoro self-image among our Filipino Muslim intellectuals. Our Islamic intelligentsia has the capacity to spin this tale very very well. This kind of thing has tremendous resonance in some circles (“stolen” Moro land equals broken treaties for Native Americans and exploitation among other First Nations around the world, not to mention other Muslim nations, who, in turn, can have the ear of governments and world public opinion).
Unfortunately, every time it looks as if the government has reneged on a peace deal, and some idiot says something to the effect that the only good Moro is a dead one, the sense of victimized Bangsamoro identity becomes stronger. If you follow history, this is the kind of cause that can call forth martyrs by the thousands.
nash on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 7:28 pm
.”..exploitation of “victimhood†that is so closely associated with the Bangsamoro self-image among our Filipino Muslim intellectuals. Our Islamic intelligentsia has the capacity to spin this tale very very well.”
Yes this is SO TRUE!!!!! I finally found someone with the same sentiment.
As my corrupt Mindanao acquaintance once said to me “sa amin naman dapat talaga yang perang iyan kaya ok lang na ibulsa namin” to justify the rampant corruption on those parts…
victimhood na victimhood ang drama talaga.
KG on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 7:29 pm
Rationalizations,CVJ?
Am I the middle class’s spokesperson?how would we really know why the middle class would not act.
I heard a word in the explainer just a few minutes ago called demagoguery.
we even go against each other without even understanding why.
call it rationalization, I don’t care if they were rational or inane anyways, you can even calll it vacuousity.
a lot has to change, I agree.That includes attitude; to addresss your concern about apathy and inaction.
Don’t despair:,we live for the future and we learn from the past.
UP n student on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 8:33 pm
to nash : [on the effect of style-of-government on economic progress....]
First the bad news — original hawaiian-bloodline did worse when Hawaii was absorbed as a state into the federalized USA. Pinas economically did worse (just compare it to Puerto Rico or Guam or Mississippi or California) when it became a non-member of the United States of America. [Though Pinas may have done better, if some folks are to be believed, had Pinas become a source of workers for Japan co-prosperity sphere.]
Poland did better wrenching itself away from the federal USSR. And on an individual basis, you’ll have vic, Constantino, supremo, and Cat Cath …. plus the lawyers Bencard and Abe Margallo did better by becoming citizens of a federal country — Canada or USA — even though one of these names I mention want to be a citizen of Venezuela.
———-
while Kurdistan,,,, Kurdistan flourished when it was able to obtain more autonomy from Baghdad.
Hongkong flourished when it was able to obtain much more autonomy from Beijing. In less than a hundred years, too!!!!
And Spain had done better (Portugal, too) after they joined the federally-structured EU. [I think it is because EU-membership allowed faster OCW-mobility for the Spanish labor-force (without needing the "contract" part. Also because of subsidies from the northern countries (which Mindanao already gets
from Malacanang).]
—————-
I don’t know any Filipino who did better after becoming a citizen of Saudi Arabia.
UP n student on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 8:48 pm
Sidenote: Excerpt below illustrates why McCain is getting closer to winning the White House this November.
Rick Warren (evangelical TV star and Amazon-dot-com popular author) interviews Obama and McCain:
(1) Question: What does the Russian invasion of Georgia mean to the United States?
McCain: Florida will be defended, whatever the cost.
Obama: When I take office in January, I shall immediately consult with our NATO allies to see if it possible to form a consensus, and then, depending on the outcome of those meetings, it will be time to consider whether there are steps that can be taken to stop Europe buying natural gas and oil from Russia by developing alternate energy sources, which will, in turn, increase our leverage with Russia. We should also think about Cuba.
———–
2 (Question asked by Rick Warren): “So, although God already knows the answer (as do I, because I’m in such close daily contact with the Almighty), the rest of the world is dying to to know: boxers or briefs?”
A (Obama): “Rick, I reject the premise of the question, namely that we can neatly classify American males into two rigid categories based on their underwear choices. It’s time to move past the partisan politics of the Bush years and resist the urge to divide America into camps of ‘us’ and ‘them.’ We must always remember that the Founding Fathers–going back to Madison’s stern warnings in Federalist Papers Number Ten–warned us to protect the rights of minorities in America. That means we must do our best for our ethnic minorities and our religious minorities, but also for the minority of American men who don’t fit into the two underwear categories you described. There are many good, hardworking, honest men in America today who exercise their God-given right to wear frilly, lacy women’s panties or ball-crushing thongs. There are others who enjoy experiencing the freedom that comes with wearing no underwear at all. And when I am President of the United States, I will do everything in my power to ensure that we are a united country, not one that divides its citizens by their underwear choices, or on any other basis.”
A (McCain): “Depends.”
PSI on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:13 pm
UP n,
Can’t blame Obama if he gives long responses as what you ascribed. After all, the guy is a candidate for president of the US of A. Unlike commenters who take themselves too seriously.
jcc on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:18 pm
KG,
“with your recent comments on automation you don’t trust the comelec as much as an atty JCC does not trust our judiciary – KG” (August 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am).
I don’t know of the extent of CVJ’s bias against the Comelec, but I know mine about the Judiciary/Supreme Court. My bias is not entirely across the board. I wrote in my book:
“It was farthest from my mind to indict the judicial system of which on few occasions has provided me with the opportunity to meet decent practitioners, judges and prosecutors”.
” The Supreme Court had virtually motivated me to exercise this civic duty and make this narrative possible. For almost 19 years as a trial attorney, and three years as a corporate lawyer of a government-owned and controlled corporation, I have met honorable people who took pride in theideals that they had been parts of a complex that dispenses justice to everyone. I had agonized over the thought that my contrary perception about this complex could hurt these few good and upright people”.
cvj on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:25 pm
Karl, ok maybe i should have used the more neutral sounding reasons, instead of rationalizations. Nevertheless, what we are witnessing now is the consequence of such inaction. (And I did not say you’re the spokesman for the Middle Class. We’re just two people discussing here.)
Look back at all the Middle Class’ reasons for Moving On and Waiting for 2010 in the face of Gloria’s cheating which i did say before is a continuing crime. This ongoing fiasco with the MILF is just the latest in a long list of GMA’s attempts to stay in power, therefore, part of her continuing crime.
anthony scalia on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:32 pm
cvj,
“If you look at the slow but sure descent into our present situation, who could’ve stopped it? Hindi ba ang Middle Class, way back in 2005? Instead, they chose to ‘move on’…with “We are prepared to lose our freedoms and our rights just to move this country forward.†and all that crap. That’s why we are where we are.”
wow, para namang may nagawa yung mga kontra sa “We are prepared to lose our freedoms and our rights just to move this country forward.â€
anthony scalia on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:35 pm
cvj,
“Look back at all the Middle Class’ reasons for Moving On and Waiting for 2010 in the face of Gloria’s cheating which i did say before is a continuing crime. This ongoing fiasco with the MILF is just the latest in a long list of GMA’s attempts to stay in power, therefore, part of her continuing crime.”
can’t you look at reality without ‘Hello Garci’ lens even for just one moment?
cvj on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:48 pm
anthony, i know it’ makes you uncomfortable, but that was the time when we could have nipped all of these in the bud, if only we held Gloria accountable for Hello Garci when it was first revealed.
jcc on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:52 pm
Our experience with one movie star, Erap was not that good. Another movie star who ran on popularity issue may not be good for the country either. The operators behind GMA must have thought that rigging the elections for GMA is a lesser evil than having another movie star run the country….
I found both situations, (movie star running a country, rigging the elections) detestable, but cyring over spilled milk will not help us either. “Move On” is not a “middle class” battlecry. I wish to believe that it is a battlecry for every Filipino. Let us not spend so much time licking our wounds. Let’s move forward and maybe we can find some light in the horizon.
cvj on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 9:59 pm
jcc, so even with your 19 years experience as trial attorney and 3 years experience as corporate lawyer, you still are able to reason away the rigging of elections.
anthony scalia on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 10:17 pm
cvj,
you have to thank the bright boys of the opposition for failing ‘to nip all of these in the bud’
there must be something in these bright boys that made the rest of the Pinoys not follow their lead on ‘hello garci’
by the way, to borrow words from Alfred E. Neuman, “what, me uncomfortable?” thou presumeth too much
anthony scalia on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 10:22 pm
jcc,
” “Move On†is not a “middle class†battlecry. I wish to believe that it is a battlecry for every Filipino. Let us not spend so much time licking our wounds. Let’s move forward and maybe we can find some light in the horizon.”
Great point.
How a Pinoy responds to that will reveal if he sees the bigger picture or still insists that its all about gloria
UP n student on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 10:26 pm
cvj: when everything is said and done, I think it is still fair to conclude that the Pinoys working to “move-on” are working within the rules as specified in the 1987 constitution; likewise you you working to move back. Democracy in action — you annoy them with your message of “you are wrong!! I understand the issues and the priorities better than you!!!” just as they annoy you when they ignore you. [And of course, there are other groups (one may call them apathetic because they simply focus on feeding or educating or housing their families). These groups say ..pare-pareho lang kayong maraming satsat.... pero kapos na kapos pa rin ang asenso ng bayan.]
The ones who have gone beyond satsat — too bad they are out-of-bounds and may lightning strike their leaders where they stand —- the ones out-of-bounds are the MILF thugs engaged in village-burning, geography-cleansing, kidnap-for-ransom and using civilians as human shields.
cvj on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 10:45 pm
UPn, it ’s not that hard to see the connection between the village burning MILF thugs and Gloria Arroyo whom many in the middle class who chose to keep in power by moving on. As i said (at 9:25 pm), this is just the latest consequence of her continuing crime. It’s only that your own anti-Muslim prejudices allow you to focus on one aspect and ignore the larger context within which the violence is taking place.
Bert on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 10:51 pm
With this useless but brutal violence happening in Mindanao that wasted precious lives of our countrymen it is so sad to think that it is being caused by the insatiable greed for power and wealth by our political leadership.
If this violence spread to Metro Manila then we will know already how really they are that desperate to cling on.
Oh, how I hope everyone of us who cares for our country could wake up and come to our senses.
BrianB on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 10:57 pm
Been talking to older Iloonggos and they were saying Mindanao should bring back the ILAGAS, a civilian force which the MILF actually dreaded more than artillery fire.
UP n student on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 10:58 pm
Seriously speaking, the “house of MoveOn” presents itself to me as the one with the bigger tent.
The house of MoveOn appear to be future-oriented (finding the next set of leaders and more respectful??? of the issues that the apathetic
busy-with-day-to-day-economics sector looks for (e.g. law-and-order (no kidnappings, no kotong), bread-and-butter issues (more jobs; better education)). This MoveOn house should also be protective of the MoveBack’s rights to proselytize (even as the elitist “undo-garci” people insult the accept-GMA-as-recognized-President-cuz-the-Constitution-says-we-should people for being too law-abiding) and the need for the existence of the anti- (as well as pro-)GMA media houses.
I guess what I say is that cvj presents himself like Dubya of 2002 — cvj won’t work with you on common issues (law-and-order against MILF thuggery) unless you work with him on his top-issue (“Garci”).
supremo on Tue, 19th Aug 2008 11:33 pm
Effect of style-of-government on economic progress:
Natalie Coughlin
2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze 2008 Olympics
AJ: Not a lot of people know that you have Filipino blood. How many percent Filipino are you?
NC: I’m a quarter-Filipino.
AJ: Did you grow up eating Filipino food? Do you still eat Filipino food? What are your favorites?
NC: Yes, I grew up eating a lot of Filipino food. My family blends Filipino food and American food at all of our gatherings. Halo-halo is one of my favorite treats. And I’m sure everyone says this, but my grandma’s Chicken Adobo is by far the best I have ever tasted.
AJ: Have you been to the Philippines?
NC: Unfortunately I haven’t been there yet. My family is from Cavite.
AJ: Did your lola (grandmother) teach you how to speak tagalog?
NC: Although my family speaks Tagalog amongst themselves, I was never taught. I am using a computer program called Rosetta Stone that is helping me learn Tagalog…maybe now I’ll know what my family is saying about me!
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 12:17 am
supremo: That’s interesting news. More Filipinos should take Natalie Kristina Coughlin’s story as inspiration to learn how to swim.
Similarly to the Cullen Jones, the black member of US 4-man relay team that won GOLD in 400-meter freestyle. Cullen Jones, on winning gold, says:
I’ve got big plans,” Jones said after the victory in Beijing. “I want more minority kids to go to a swimming pool and try to swim because of me. I want kids to say, ‘Look, a black swimmer. And he’s got a gold medal!’ And I want them to get in the water because of it.”
Many more Filipinos should tell Filipino children to learn to swim.
KG on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 12:31 am
JCC,
Thanks for that excerpt from your book.my comment was based from our conversations on this thread.I admit I assumed too much,which is very wrong.sorry.
cvj,
paulit ulit na lang tayo .sige kung gising ka pa tulog na.
jcc on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 12:43 am
CVJ,
jcc, so even with your 19 years experience as trial attorney and 3 years experience as corporate lawyer, you still are able to reason away the rigging of elections. (August 19th, 2008 at 9:59 pm).
Please read the second par. I said I found rigging the elections and the country being ran by another movie star on popularity platform both detestable.
But that would not stop me from moving on. I do not want to keep the sun from shining and the world rotating from its axis simplybecause there are so many evil on this planet. Licking one’s wound and crying over spilled milk is not the best prescription to regain our sanity. They will, from my point of view, only highlight our division and disunity.
jcc on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 12:49 am
KG,
You owe me no apology. I owe you an explanation which I did.
Bencard on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 12:53 am
supremo, thanks for the natalie couglin’s q&a excerpt. i hope it’s for real. my wife and i are big fans of her since athens.
i guess the only way the philippines could ever hope for an olympic gold medal is for filipino-american (or other foreigners with philippine connection) world-class athletes to find it in their hearts to represent the philippines in the olympic. a number of olympic medalists played for countries of their roots other than their current homelands. but, i guess, we would first have to make philippine connection a source of pride rather than shame.
Bencard on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 1:23 am
cvj, re your “continuing crime” reference @ 9:25, will you please stop quoting yourself? your were wrong the first time you said it and you are wrong now. constant repetition of a canard will not invest it with truth.
it seems your garci- tape mantra doesn’t give any one a rise except your folks in the hate-gloria club, some of whom have decided wisely to “move on”.
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 2:22 am
to cvj: some folks have seen the connection between village burning and atrocities and how Filipinos view Filipinos who say they follow the teachings of Islam. Natauhan din naman, mabuti na lang that pro-bangMoro politicians, reacting to the anger against the MILF killings in Lanao del Norte, now speak and are putting (verbal) distance between them and their thugs. Inquirer has a report . :
[ Natangcop fails to mention that civilians have already been slaughtered dead during the village-burning And that there is (per biology books) a big difference between catching a cold and being dead. One does not get cured from being dead. Buried, yes, cured, no. ]
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 3:01 am
And I understand that Kabalu still has his finger up trying to find how the wind blows regarding their thugs. The Inquirer-article paints a Kabalu who is very ambiguous about whether the JBE-leadership should agree as the govt-Philippines calls Commander Kato a renegade and a plain-vanilla bandit, or if the JBE-leadership should call Kato as a member-in-good-standing of the MILF military chain-of-command (and hence can be protected by the MILF).
Kabalu should quickly commission Mangahas to make a survey of 1,200 Filipinos, then do a quick cost-benefit study of whether having in Kato a hero to a few Muslim youth is worth an MILF-commander detested for what he is — a terrorist thug whose soldiers did village-burning, looting and geography-cleansing (over 150,000 civilians displaced).
nash on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 3:09 am
Hmmm, interesting proposition BrianB, replace the bandits with other bandits. That would be good only if it were a pyrrhic victory and both ilagas and abu sayaff eliminated themselves from the equation and left the normal people to live peacefully.
PSI on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 3:34 am
UP n,
Eid Kabalu is not being ambiguous. The MILF is exploting the split/indecision in the administration with the doves ( Dureza, Esperon?, N. Gonzales) pitted against the hawks (Ermita, Teodoro and Gonzales).
It’s the reason they’re calling a Legislative Executive Council (LEDAC) meeting after the National Security Council (NSC) meeting to get a final decision, once and for all, supported by the legislators to get funding in the event of an all-out war.
supremo on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 3:47 am
‘If one accepts the statement that the Bangsamoro people is a “distinct people†and a “First Nation†then it follows that they have the following basic rights:’
Distinct people? Montesa should get a Mohawk or a Huron and the Canadian Prime Minister side by side. Compare them. Any difference in ethnicity? Do the same thing in the Philippines. Take any Muslim woman and GMA side by side. Compare them too. Any difference in ethnicity?
First Nation? Who deprive the Moros self-determination? Not the Christian Filipinos but Sultan Jamal ul-Kiram II, who signed the Carpenter Agreement, and Sultan Qudarat, who ceded Palawan to Spain.
nash on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 4:03 am
correction supremo, the correct name is His Most Divine Highness Sultan Jama-ulol Kiram.
His heirs are still around, clutching at their ‘entitlements’….
jcc on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 4:12 am
I will repost here my Ricky Carandang post:
“I have a classmate who during President Fidel Ramos time was appointed consul to one of these Middle East countries and he was a friend and he is muslim.
When I think of him I found offensive the comment of one General Brawner during the “Moro Campaign†in the fifties who said “The only good muslim is a dead muslimâ€.
But if you think of the Paticul incident where General Bautista and his men were waylaid and massacred by the muslims and the MILF atrocities on civilians today, I take no more offense over that statement.
But I still consider my classmate, who is a muslim, as a friend.
leytenian on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 4:33 am
Philippines is a country that is a victim of manipulation and the monopoly of power by a small group of people, a centralize system that is either unable to or not allowed to fully mature because of the domination of a few people and that sadly victimises the majority of the Filipino people.
It is not the absence of solutions and hopelessness itself but rather the continued failure and inability of government officials to take action to implement any solution and to ensure through continued and serious monitoring that action occurs or put into practice.
Here’s one point why Federalism or CHACHA is my MOVE on opinion:
Decentralization of monopolisitic/centralize power :
When government is closer to the people, it is more likely to be held accountable by them for its successes and failures in the provision of basic services, the maintenance of order, and the fair resolution of local issues and disputes. Government tends to be more responsive when it is closer to the people.
http://www.rickycarandang.com/?p=143#comment-20865
Pilipinoparin on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 4:41 am
jcc,
Just like you and your Muslim friend, there are good and bad eggs in all ethnic groups.There are good and bad eggs among members of all religious groups. Just like you, I have muslim friends. Let us not consider our Muslim brothers as MILF, same way as let us not consider all MILF members terrorist muslims. Let us just prosecute all the bad eggs, muslims, catholics, politicians, lawyers docs. whatever.Get all the bad eggs in RP! I guess that will do it.
supremo on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 4:56 am
leytenian,
CHACHA through CONCON is the way to go.
leytenian on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 7:11 am
Ancestral Domain in Comparative Perspective:
“Ownership of land is not the same as control of resources”
In the Native American case, tribal lands are held in trust by the U.S. government, but functionally, tribal governments manage these lands as private property. Tribes have power to own, manage, and regulate tribal land, water, and natural resources, including those underneath the soil. Tribal governments can also set zoning controls. The U.S. government retains power over the property through taxation, environmental regulation, and other forms of legislation.
Inuit experience shows that the absence of formal or legal ownership of land does not preclude control over natural resources. Inuit chose to cede to the government of Canada their aboriginal title to land and natural resources in exchange for defined rights and benefits, including title to about 18 percent of their ancestral domain.
Maoris and Bougainvilleans possess surface, but not subsurface, title to their traditional lands. However, they retain a measure of control over the development of resources underneath the soil. In Bougainville, major development projects cannot proceed without Bougainvillean approval.
http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr151.html
NOTE: we are dealing with extremisms…
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 7:36 am
to jcc: I don’t know if cvj is willing to concede to you on this point, but I guess what you are saying is that history has already demonstrated that a number of Mindanao muslims have been treacherous and murderous if they believe that you are their enemy (or if you are unfortunate enough to be nearby when they want to show how macho they are and that they are not to be ignored). But they have a sense of the ridiculous — calling ransom board-and-lodging is actually funny.
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 7:41 am
I’m still confused why mlq3 used the term blowback in this blogthread. Did the govt-of-the-republic-Philippines give arms and training to the MILF for some old purpose (Sabah????) and now, the MILF is using their training against the republic-Philippines?
My understanding is that the MILF gets their training and weapons from Malaysia and/or Indonesia (plus some Saudis and Syrians acting on their own)…. folks, point me to news- or analysis-sites to set me straight.
KG on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 8:24 am
UPN
let me guess.
baka it simply means that there are an uninteneded consequences from a MOA-AD done in secrecy.
ask manolo,better get it straight from him.
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 8:30 am
kg: thanks…. i checked the linkback he pointed to and my case (Bin Laden) was too specific a case.
Tax Joven on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 8:43 am
A dialog on federalism? Why not one on local autonomy first? It seems to me that the benefits of federalism is more within reach via this route. No need for cha-cha!
This applies also to the ancestral domain issue. It is best approached at the local rather than regional level. It is tribal, not religious. Let it be that way. .
The government is now confronted with lawlessness on the AD issue because it has been remiss with the implementation of RA 8371 known as Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA). It is not too late for this.
Tax Joven on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 8:55 am
Grant ancestral domain titles to present, not historical, occupants. Deal with tribes, not bandits. Give everyone their due, whether they are in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao. Terrorists included!
leytenian on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 9:05 am
Blowback is the cost and consequences of non transparency… but the link on the blog above is for domestic purposes only. Not sure if the MOA_AD is really coming from our own geniuses of leaders.
a link to a bigger picture of blowback…
“The most direct and obvious form of blowback often occurs when the victims fight back after a secret American bombing, or a U.S.-sponsored campaign of state terrorism (Mindanao) , or a ClA-engineered overthrow of a foreign political leader ( musharaf? )”
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blowback_CJohnson/Blowback_BCJ.html
Philippines cannot solve the costs and consequences of a real blowback. Our debts are too high. It is actually parallel to pride.
Let’s move on to CHACHA…
leytenian on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 9:22 am
Tax Joven,
how are you related to the real JOVEN? lol
“Grant ancestral domain titles to present, not historical, occupants. Deal with tribes, not bandits. Give everyone their due, whether they are in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao. Terrorists included!”
Making sure that Philippine government retains power over the property through taxation, environmental regulation, and other forms of legislation. also, No casinos or gambling allowed, equal rights for women ( No to sharia law.. yes to isang bansa isang diwa) , no hiding in caves because we are no longer in the stone age…
the new generations of filipinos whether rich or poor can better manage our country. Anyone below 50 is good for me. Over 50…belongs to the old way.
meron ba?
BrianB on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 10:05 am
Nash,
the word is that the MILF are cowards who never fight fair. In the 70s the Christian forces were outnumbered; it was this ILAGAS who kept Mindanao part of the Philippines.
BrianB on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 10:16 am
This is why we shouldn’t be shy about revenge:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080820-155685/Rebs-mad-over-aborted-MOA-signing
Tax Joven on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 11:06 am
leytenian,
I am a real Joven. Young. I’m 30 years younger than 50+50. I bike a grandchild to and from school, thread needle for my one year younger wife, and do some household and farming chores. Some people still seek my advise on LG affairs. Or more precisely, I force it on them. Sometimes.
CHACHA? What for? Our Charter is flawed, but what guarantee do we have that it would be better after a change? Besides, what can federalism do that local autonomy can’t? Sen. Pimentel’s 20/80 formula if applied in a decentralized setting will help us cope better with our debts, and with the impact of blowbacks. Federalism is a new path… to disaster.
The old way is better. Ask Eli Soriano of Ang Dating Daan!
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 11:43 am
to BrianB: Whether or not you extract revenge, one still needs to be aware of the brutality that the other side brings so one can calibrate how much violence is warranted to defend the local schools. And the community’s 2-year olds.
To cvj who may wonder what I am talking about:
“Why was the child killed when she had nothing to do with the conflict?†a relative screamed upon seeing Love-love’s body carried down toward the highway.
. . . . . .
At around noontime, the remains of four people placed inside coffins were displayed for public viewing outside the gym, waiting for their relatives to claim them.
The attack by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels killed 14 people.
Sixteen houses, a police car and three buildings of Kolambugan Central Elementary School housing six classrooms were burned.
———–
Does anyone know why the MILF kills two year-olds?
cvj on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 12:23 pm
The equivalence given to rigging the elections and the country being ran by another movie star by otherwise decent folks is what i find disturbing. The latter, while it would have been unfortunate if it happened, is nevertheless the people’s choice which we have to respect. The former is outright unethical and has damaged our institutions, including the military which we are counting on to fight the MILF.
UPn (at 2:22 am), consistent with your prejudice against Muslims (shared by many Filipinos), the 2 year old child is only useful to you because he/she was a victim of the MILF attacks. A Muslim child under the same circumstances would not have merited the same attention from you. If you really cared for children, the consistent position would be to be anti-war. Otherwise, you have to accept that many more children on both sides will be killed. That’s how modern war goes.
I realize that a number of you have volunteered that you have friends who are Muslims and that you are aware of the distinction between them and the MILF, but these are early days and such nuance will disappear with further atrocities, especially if bombs start going off in other parts of the country. There’s a lot of latent prejudice waiting to be exploited and these will not spare long-time (or even childhood) friendships.
lee on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 1:37 pm
If only the Skrull didn’t cheat da King we wouldn’t have this problem. Trust me, Muslims do listen to da King. No need for this Bangsacrapola whatever.
hvrds on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 3:44 pm
“If only the Skrull didn’t cheat da King we wouldn’t have this problem. Trust me, Muslims do listen to da King. No need for this Bangsacrapola whatever.”
Unintentionally, this comment has finally convinced me that in the Philippines there must be qualifying standards for voters in elections and that this idea of mass based suffrage should end.
Yup we need to forget about this idea of liberal democracy in the Philippine context.
Looking at the past few weeks from SONA to warfare in the South while Big Mike and GMA took an extra day to watch Kobe in China.
What a disastrous failure of governance?????
I read this line somewhere else but what where those guys smoking when they agreed to sign that agreement?????
Look at the face of the other side—–Commander Bravo and Commander Kato.
Look at the face of the government side- Dureza and Esperon
Is there any one in charge in the Palace who can think policy apart from preparing for the six o’ clock news?
Is Lupita Kashiwahara making policy???
BrianB on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 5:56 pm
UP n, military is compromised. Civilian force is a lot more effective.
BrianB on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 6:02 pm
cvj,
The child didn’t die from artillery shells, bombs or cross fire. The child die from premeditated slaughter.
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 6:10 pm
hvrds paints a picture of what can happen to a geographic area whose political leadership turns over police-administration to Commanders Bravo and Kato —- that this idea of mass based suffrage should end.
Tax Joven on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 6:19 pm
Short term solution to the Mindanao problem: go after terrorists. Use as much force as is necessary to stop them from doing harm. Do not negotiate with any of them.
Long term solution: decentralization, not federalism. Ancestral domain is tribal, not religious. It is best handled at the local rather than regional level. Republic Act No. 8371, also known as “The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997†tells us that the State recognizes and promotes certain rights of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) within the framework of the Constitution.
The law is clear on how to deal with ancestral domain. It must be implemented vigorously and equally for Tausogs, Manobos, T’bolis, Dumagats, Mangyans, Agtas, and other ethnic groups. They are the first nation. Christians generally get along with tribal groups. There’s one thing they share within their closely knit communities: government neglect. Tribal welfare is a common concern.
Enough of Gloria bashing! It does nothing but fan hatred. Hatred will not lead to change or people power, not because we are a nation of cowards, but simply because a change in leadership do not bring relief. EDSA 1 and 2 taught us that this is so. This is also true with elections no matter how clean and credible it may be. We must move to change the system, not the leaders.
It’s not about cha-cha or 2010. Too far away and too uncertain! It’s something we can act on now. It not easy, but it’s doable. The main idea is to permanently clip the powers not just of a rapacious Gloria but also of Imperial Manila by giving some of it to LGU’s. It’s going for the fruits of federalism, but not its thorns. Its sweetness, without its bitterness! Its glory without its risks!
Sen. Nene Pimentel goes around the country promising a 20/80 sharing of national taxes if federalism pushes through. Why promise a pie by and by when we can have it now even without a cha-cha? Instead, he should initiate a revolt or people power lead by the LGU officials to force Congress to decentralize through legislation NOW. It may be true that Congress is not inclined to pass such a proposal or bill, but what makes him think that it would have a change of heart if convened as a con-ass? It would take a revolution, no less, for Congress to grant that much power to LGU’s!
I will not dwell on the evils of federalism here. So much has already been written about it. But I’m quite sure that whatever a proposed State can do, a province or a city can do better
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 6:24 pm
to cvj: why do you rationalize atrocities — 2 year old killed maliciously during a village cleansing —- by bringing up hypotheticals?
She’s a she. No, she was not carrying a rifle nor a bolo. Whether she was Shia or Hindu or Buddhist or child of an agnostic, the 2-year old was killed during a village-cleansing even though she was not of military value, and many filipinos (not all… but many Filipinos) find that contemptible.
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 6:43 pm
as for Kabalu-and-company, I suppose in the next 2 days, they will say tht the reported murder of the 2-year old was “regrettableâ€, and Kabalu may make a press-statement that it happened “… kasi, ganoon ‘yon. Giyera eh…. fog of war” or they will say her murder was a compelling necessity. to eliminate the bloodline of a pro-government civilian…. or lost command..
cvj on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 7:59 pm
Brianb (at 6:02 pm), whether bombs or bolos, dead is dead, or are you saying that a child who is killed in a crossfire is somehow better off than a child who is deliberately hacked?
UPn, (at 6:24 pm) that’s a baseless accusation on your part. If you read my comment (at 12:23 pm), i did call it an atrocity.
cvj on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 8:01 pm
[apologies if double-posted]
Brianb (at 6:02 pm), whether bombs or bolos, dead is dead, or are you saying that a child who is killed in a crossfire is somehow better off than a child who is deliberately hacked?
UPn, (at 6:24 pm) that’s a baseless accusation on your part. If you read my comment (at 12:23 pm), i did call it an atrocity.
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 8:16 pm
cvj: When I read read your 12:23pm entry, I see the phrase …he/she was a victim of the MILF attacks. but I do not see “atrocity” nor “atrocious” nor “barbaric”.
cvj on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 8:23 pm
UPn, read the next paragraph, you’ll notice the phrase ‘further atrocities’.
UP n student on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 9:58 pm
cvj: you write funny………..
grd on Wed, 20th Aug 2008 10:01 pm
brianB, i heard now the “ilagas” are being revived.
Tax Joven on Fri, 22nd Aug 2008 12:55 pm
So much talent. So much banter. All tsismis. No solutions. What a waste. What a shame!
We are easily outraged by how a group defy the law. Were we ever bothered during all the time that our government denied them the law? There is RA 8371 that concerns ancestral lands and indigenous peoples. Was it ever implemented as it should be? Never mind that basic services does not reach their communities!
This is no justification for the dastardly acts. It just opens a path for lasting solutions.
statesman on Sun, 24th Aug 2008 1:44 pm
Manolo,
I am saddened by the Filipino bloggers that you quote. They are so ignorant of Moro history. It just shows you that the Filipinos are really a “people without history” and have become “little brown brothers” and who through their diaspora have become globalization’s modern slaves being paid slave wages by Middle East Muslim potentates.
Don’t these people ever wonder why Moros don’t want to be under a country whose “government is run like hell by Filipinos” when even Filipino Indios Bravos are leaving it in droves? What does Philippine citizenship offer in terms of integration and assimilation when the Philippines does not offer comfort, progress or well-being but misery and a large dose of life’s uncertainties. Your English speaking bloggers, young Filipinos, are so “smug” but that is only their individual achievement when the country is a mess. Don’t worry I do believe that the Americans have plans of taking back Mindanao from the mis-management of the Filipinos. TRULY THE FILIPINO IS A COLONIZED PEOPLE SA ISIP, SA SALITA AT SA GAWA.
Scholars have written books about the Moro Sultanates (nation-states) even during Spanish times, e.g. Thomas Forrest “Voyage in the Moluccas” and explorer William Dampier. There is of course Cesar Majul, Najeed Saleeby, Combes, Ruudje Laarhoven’s “Triumph of (Moro) Diplomacy”, H.V. Dela Costa, Shinzo Hayase’s “Mindanao Ethnohistory, Beyond Nations”, McKenna’s “Muslim Rulers and Rebels”, James Francis Warren’s “Sulu Zone” , Schuck-Montemayor’s “Saga of a German Sea Captain”, and many more.
The Sultanate of Maguindanao and Sultanate of Sulu lost their sovereignty not because the Filipino Indios conquered them but because the U.S. created the semi-independent Moro Province uniting these two sultanates into one body-polity which your great-grandfather Quezon by his political machinations was able to convince the Americans to hand over to Filipino administration without need to fight it out with the Moros because by that time the Moros had surrendered their weapons to the Americans on the promise that they too will have a separate independence from the Filipino Indios.
(Galing ng loleng mo di ba? Sayang Manolo you should have demanded from the Philippine government compensation for the services of your forebear in getting Mindanao for the Philippines. Eh, dapat magalit ka kasi iba ang nakikinabang sa ginawa ng loleng mo. Kawawa ka naman billions and billions of pesos from the wealth of Mindanao hindi man lang kayo ng pamilya mo nabigyan ng kahati. Remember the Quezon’s Mindanao colonization act).
I want you to read Hawaii’s tragic case of STOLEN KINGDOM because that is what happened to the Moros. The young people don’t know the glorious history of the Moro sultanates who had diplomatic and treaty relations with the great powers, the Dutch, the British, the Germans and the superpower of the day, Spain as suzerein nation-states. The Moro glory in history diminishes Filipino Indios because the tragic history of the Filipinos was “serfdom and vassalage” while the Moros had centuries of freedom.
Typical of a bully, or somebody who just joined a fraternity who was abused before joining the fraternity of nations, or was a loser in history for the longest time, or a victim of history for a long time and continues to be a victim of globalization as modern day slaves, the Filipino has to beat-up on the Moro to feel good and to feel that he exists and he has to inflict pain on a people that he considers a “lesser people” (in his own imagination which the Americans gave him as a “white man’s burden” even though he is just a “little brown brother”). The Filipino can always say to himself the mantra I am better than the Moro and that there is somebody that the Filipino can beat-up to feel good about himself. How pathetic can you get? Filipinos with all their pretensions cannot change the reality that they are the “slaves of the world” and that is the role they have played since the colonization of Spain of las islas Filipinas. How unfortunate that Manila would have developed as a strong Sultanate if only Raja Lakandula and Raja Soliman were allowed to have ruled for at least 50 years before the Spaniards came then it would have developed into a true nation-state not this Fabricated State named after syphilitic King Phillip II or in Spanish Felipe.
Read Joe Fallon’s “Igorot and moro National Reemergence: The Fabricated Philippine State” at http://www.cwis.org/fwj/21/imnr.html.
mindanaoan on Sun, 24th Aug 2008 8:37 pm
what arrant nonsense! if you are not a muslim, live in muslim areas in mindanao, and see who beats-up on who
leytenian on Sat, 30th Aug 2008 11:24 pm
tax jove:
“your long term solution: It is best handled at the local rather than regional level.”
it’s too long. Federalism is the short term solution that can be implemented now to achieve long term peace and stable democracy. here’s why:
Federalism emphasizes regional and local self-rule and self-reliance in governance, based on the principle of subsidiarity. This means that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level where the problems can be solved.
“Federalism emphasizes respect for the socio-cultural diversity of the people and seeks national unity in regional diversity. It promotes national solidarity and cooperation in governance, nation-building, modernization and development.
While regional or state governments are designed to be autonomous in their regional and local affairs in relation to the federal government, the federal government provides assistance to the various regions and states, especially the less developed ones, as in all federal systems in the world.â€
Decentralization is Federalism. It means to break down centralized power. Because of the serious weaknesses and disadvantages of our unitary system:
Our unitary system is highly centralized. With very limited powers and authority and inadequate resources, most of our local governments cannot provide the public services that our people need and expect.
National taxes siphon or take away much of the wealth and revenues generated by agriculture and other industries in various local communities around the country. Major corporations, including banks, pay their taxes in Metro Manila whose cities benefit more from their activities than the provinces and other cities in which the branches of the corporations y operate.
Local officials have to spend much of their time and energy and their limited funds seeking the assistance and approval of national government officials in Metro Manila.
Local dependence on the national government stifles local initiative and resourcefulness, and hampers local business and development.
Our unitary system is not sensitive to our cultural diversity. The nation has many ethno-linguistic and cultural communities and a large Muslim minority, the Moros. The migration of large numbers of people from other parts of the country has led to the loss of their identity and ancestral domain and to their
landlessness and poverty.
Decades of unitary rule under the policy of assimilation and national integration have marginalized the Moros and other indigenous peoples in various parts of the country. Meanwhile many settlers in Mindanao and other
regions are becoming prosperous. Deteriorating relations between the Moros and the national government have led to many years of violence and rebellion —the death, displacement and suffering of thousands of people.
Under our unitary system the efforts to promote local autonomy since the 1950s have reached a dead end, because of the reluctance of most national political leaders to decentralize the powers of the national government. The centralization of power enhances their power and control over the local communities.
Thus under our traditional unitary Republic since 1946, and our presidential form of government, our government and leaders have generally failed to effectively address our problems and continuing underdevelopment—our
poverty, social inequality, unemployment, inadequate social services, the lack of transparency and accountability that breeds corruption, the government’s increasing deficits and public debt, endemic rebellion, etc.
For these reasons the federalist movement seeks to change our highly centralized unitary structure to a decentralized structure of autonomous local governments leading to a federal system, in addition to a parliamentary government.
http://www.i-site.ph/Focus/ConCom/Abueva-Why-Change-from-Unitary-to-Federal-Republic.pdf
leytenian on Sat, 30th Aug 2008 11:25 pm
Tax Joven: Decentralization is Federalism.