ZAMBOANGA CITY – With only two days to go before the government signs a Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Iligan and Zamboanga cities have joined North Cotabato in filing a petition before the Supreme Court, this time for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop both parties from forging the accord.
Various sectors in both cities described the agreement as tantamount to the Philippine government acceding to the MILF’s declaration of independence as contained in the draft of the MOA-AD, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR.
Local officials, residents, businessmen, non-government organizations, religious and village leaders here backed Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat in filing the petition for TRO to stop the signing of the agreement.
They maintained that they do not want the city and any of its boundaries included in the Bangsa-moro Juridical Entity (BJE), warning of protest actions in the coming days.
The MOA-AD includes 737 villages in the area of ancestral domain.
The affected areas claimed under ancestral domain which has raised concern among Mindanao leaders are the present geographic state of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the towns of Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan and Tangcal in Lanao del Norte.
Also being claimed are (Region 9) Isabela City, Basilan with all of its 45 barangays; Zamboanga City (eight barangays, including the villages of Zone III and IV where the seat of the city government is located, the commercial district, Metropolitan Immaculate Cathedral, and the residence of Mayor Lobregat); Dinas, Zamboanga del Sur (eight barangays); Zamboanga Sibugay Mabuhay (five barangays); (Region 10) Lanao del Norte – Bacolod town (four), Iligan City (eight), Kauswagan (12), Kolambugan (six), Linamon town (eight), Magsaysay (24), Maigo (one), Tubod (one) and the whole of Matungao, Pantao Ragat, Poona Piagapo, Salvador, Sapad and Sultan Naga Dimaporo towns.
Others are Kalilangan, Bukidnon (one barangay); (Region 12) all areas of Cotabato City; North Cotabato – Alamada town (six), Aleosan (seven), Banisilan (18), Carmen (17), whole of Kabacan, M’lang (three), Matalam (12), Midsayap (19), Pigkawayan (20), all of Pikit, President Roxas (one), Tulunan (7); Sultan Kudarat – Bagumbayan (all), Columbio (all), Esperanza (all), Isulan (three), Kalamansig (all), Lambayong (all), Lebak (all), Lutayan (all), Palimbang (all), Pres. Quirino (all), Sen. Ninoy Aquino (all); Palawan – Balabac (all), and Bataraza (all).
The MOA also stipulates that the MILF’s BJE shall have jurisdiction over the management, conservation, development and protection of all natural resources, living, and non-living, within the internal waters extending to the 14-kilometer radius within the coastlines of the BJE.
It also included territorial waters which shall stretch beyond the internal waters of the Republic of the Philippines’ baseline, southeast and southwest of mainland Mindanao.
“This is one of the scary things. This has been a thorny issue for the last two years. What is the breakthrough that has been achieved? The government panel just gave in to all the demands of the MILF,” Lobregat said.
The government panel has committed to conduct and “deliver” a plebiscite within six months following the signing of the MOA.
The groups claimed that even members of Congress were not provided with copies of the MOA-AD by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.
Lobregat said the GRP panel has not properly represented the people of Mindanao and were only forced to visit their city after documents on ancestral domain agreed upon on Nov. 25, 2005 leaked out.
The worst part, according to Lobregat, is when the government does not listen to their position despite their obvious opposition to the agreement.
Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz, for his part, said an emergency meeting was called Friday night in his city and similar action was urged to stop the signing of the MOA-AD between the GRP and MILF panels on Aug. 5-6 in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Business leaders said they will shut down all business establishments, while church leaders led by Archbishop Romulo Valles will lead huge crowds and ring church bells, and people will wear red t-shirts and armbands as part of their mass protest.
“Let us not look at ourselves alone. This is a fight for the whole of Mindanao and the country. Let’s stop them from signing that,” Lobregat said, citing the constitutionality of the MOA-AD.
“Once this is signed, they will have all the reason and elements for the declaration of independence even without the plebiscite,” Lobregat said.
Lobregat even cited former government peace panel member Fr. Eliseo Mercado as reportedly saying, “This is the first time I have seen such a document. You have all the elements of a state. That entitles the Bangsamoro to self-declaration of independence because it is all there. You have been recognized, you have territory, you have self-determination, your ancestral domain is birthright, it’s not part of the public domain.”
Congresswoman Ma. Isabel Climaco also expressed dismay, saying they were deprived by the government panel of the opportunity to scrutinize the accord.
Church leaders, however, fear reprisal from the rebels who might terrorize those who oppose the inclusion of the cities and the signing of the MOA-AD.
Meanwhile, Mindanao leaders asked the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) last Friday to intervene and stop Malacañang from pushing through with the agreement.
The CBCPNews said multisectoral Mindanao leaders met with CBCP officials and requested them to stop President Arroyo from signing the MOA on ancestral domain with the MILF.
North Cotabato officials led by Gov. Jesus Sacdalan and Vice Gov. Manny Piñol earlier filed a petition before the SC, asking the tribunal to compel the government to reveal the contents of the MOA before it is formalized.
They also asked the SC to issue a restraining order against the government to ensure that the agreement is thoroughly reviewed and studied before it is signed. - With Evelyn Macairan