Comments on the peace process

For almost two decades now, I have been devoting my time to helping win the peace and sustained development in Mindanao in the best manner I could as a peace-loving citizen of our country by publicly sharing my views and actually undertaking activities that may help advance the peace process. My actions are consistent with the mandate of the Southern Philippines Development Authority and my duty and responsibility as its Chairman.

The following observation touches on news accounts about a proposed visit of the National Democratic Front (NDF) Chairman Luis Jalandoni with President Benigno Aquino that did not happen and the other, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s proposal for the establishment of a Bangsa Moro Sub-State.

With due respect, I believe that wisdom and advisability dictated President Aquino III not to meet with the NDF chairman at this time, and instead politely indicated a preference for the holding of a dialogue between the NDF chairman and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles and the Chairman of the GRP Panel for GRP-NDF Peace Talks Alex Padilla.

This implied that the President would be willing to meet with the NDF chairman when a peace agreement is eminent and better still, a “done deal.” In other words, he signaled the need for both the negotiating panels to talk “turkey” instead of dwelling merely on the “size and shape of the negotiating table.” Without making any speculation, the recent meetings that took place between the GRP chairman for GRP-NDF peace talks and the NDF chairman could be a positive confidence-building initiative in elevating to a higher notch, the decades-old GRP-NDF peace talks.

On the other hand, the MILF was reported to have proposed the creation of a Bangsa Moro Sub-State. If this is true, the move is a departure from its secessionist stance, and can be viewed as an honorable adherence to the principle of pragmatism and flexibility on the part of MILF chairman Ibrahim Al-Haj Murad and MILF chairman Negotiator Mohaghar Iqbal. When carefully studied and properly handled, the move could drastically change the character, complexion and speed of the peace talks assuming that both sides will really put their act together and work as a team, rather than as political and technical adversaries at this juncture when they have apparently arrived at a common ground needed to precipitate a breakthrough in the peace negotiation.

This is due to the fact that it will require both Houses of Congress to enact a law creating the Bangsa Moro Sub-State, and therefore it follows that a formal GRP-MILF peace agreement that “fully affirms and recognizes the sovereignty, territorial integrity and the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines” will be needed as basis for its enactment. In turn, this may necessitate the need to forge an understanding between the government and the MLF to collectively work in drafting, “lobbying” and negotiating for the legislation of a Bangsa Moro Sub-State ahead of the signing of a formal peace agreement. In the meantime, it is prudent to also assume about the need to craft a collegial brief and recommendation to the President before any formal action is pursued towards the legislation of the proposed Bangsa Moro Sub-State.

In this context, there is, in my humble opinion, a need for a parallel move to put into place a strong and competent collegial management and advisory team – if this has not been done yet – that shall simultaneously assist in conceiving and translating a vision that shall look within and far beyond the rigors and difficulties of negotiating, concluding and signing a peace agreement; in addressing and buttressing a unified position in justifying to Congress and the public what the Bangsa Moro Sub-State is all about and what benefits it can do or offer to the country and people, in ensuring the constitutionality of the proposed law before it is enacted in order to avoid the error committed in the MOA-AD fiasco; and in fast-tracking the preparation of plans and programs for post-war conflict transformation in the region and people emerging from war for positive social change that may include, among others, reconstruction and development, trauma healing, culture of peace promotion and development, governance education and others, as well as fast-tracking the preparation of a public information campaign for a national plebiscite to ratify the peace agreement.

In passing, I wish to send a message to MILF chairman Ibrahim Al-Haj Murad. I wish and pray for his good health. Opting for the re-opening of the peace talks is good. Fast tracking and reaching its early conclusion is not only better. It is super.

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