But it seems to me questionable whether any government has the right to demand loyalty from its citizens beyond its willingness or ability to render actual protection.
-Quezon To MacArthur, January 28, 1942
For once, I agree absolutely with Bong Montesa: never play the game of chicken. If this recent Inquirer editorial pointed out the administration has so botched up the peace process and is zigzagging so clumsily today, as to make the restoration of peace so much more difficult, the subsequent Inquirer editorial,suggests the MILF finds itself in a bind, because of the hostilities that have erupted and for which it took credit. Pointing to August 22 news item MILF Chair Al Haj Murad raise points in meeting IMT and the from Luawaran.com,’ the editorial suggested that the MILF (or the faction of its leadership that wanted to achieve its political aims through negotiations) was trying to invoke the assistance of its Malaysian sponsors. See –MILF asks Malaysia to convene peace panel – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos
Davao City councilor Peter Lavina in his bog, suggests that the Malaysian government officially speaking, is supportive. But the political reality in Malaysia is that the government is in its own version of survival mode. Lip service and a little diplomatic nudging here and there is all very good, but in determining the cost-effectiveness of using a nation’s resources (diplomacy, economics, military, etc.) there is little going for Malaysia if it publicly supports armed rebellion on the part of the MILF.
Militarily, even, the dilemma is there. If you assume, as some do, that the MILF possesses SAM’s in its inventory, it cannot use them now, or even later. For to do so would provide proof of foreign funding or at least facilitation/support; and regionally speaking, Malaysia as the likely culprit would trigger unease in Indonesia and alarm countries like Thailand (both being firm U.S. allies) which is fighting its own Muslim secessionists.
And so it seems the last-ditch appeal, perhaps by the more moderate among the MILF’s leadership, is for the Malaysians to give a sign that they continue to enjoy that country’s confidence and backing, in an effort to convince the other foreign powers to head off full-blown hostilities. Again, here is a confluence of interests: the Americans wouldn’t be too keen on hostilities because as the primary funder of our armed forces it would have to foot the bill and this includes what the Americans know all too well includes lining generals’ pockets (see Who Profits From The War in Mindanao? | Filipino Voices). It wouldn’t even really help the American arms industry. Not much money to be gained with out Korea and Vietnam War-era weaponry.Add to this the possibility that SouthEast Asia, including the Philippines, exists in a kind of policy limbo vis-a-vis Washington: In Asia » Blog Archive » Asian Policy Challenges for the Next President.
But that doesn’t mean that these nations could prevent a shooting war, either.
So when the MILF announced, on August 21, it would hold a press conference on August 23, I had deep misgivings. What would they say? After their former brio, they’d been complaining that AFP uses excessive force in attack pulverizing Muslim communities, which ignores who started the fighting or the absurdity of expecting the AFP not to send in the PAF.
Though they did have a point in saying MILF: CAFGUs, CVOs, plus Pinol, et al=Ilagas which the PNP, for one, validated by the tactic of arming civilian militias (see PNP sending shotguns to Mindanao auxiliaries – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos). The news of state-armed militias is indeed troubling; it is a sign of weakness and does not address the sort of insecurities that led to this: see Iligan City Hall Sights « preMEDitated.
Where did this insecurity come from? On one part, the public being unsure of what, really, the administration’s game plan was concerning Mindanao (in a nutshell: An irresponsible response « Mon Casiple’s Weblog on Philippine Politics). Second, the Palace having to respond to public hostility to its peace plan, and that response being at best, a confusing combination of bluster and appeasement. ALthough RG Cruz puts forward the Palace line of a STRATEGY CHANGE | RG CRUZ which suggests some sort of rhyme or reason, crude zigzaging seems a more appropriate description: Malacañang Backtracks on BJE MoA Even As Supreme Court Set to Rule on Constitutionality » The Warrior Lawyer | Philippine Lawyer.
Third, uncertainty concerning traditional allies such as the United States (see US silent on MILF terrorism « Peter Laviña New Blog) and Fourth, the possibility that the armed forces intervened by mounting operations even when the President hadn’t quite made up her mind on that to do. In his blog, thenutbox actually suggests the President announced offensive operations to retroactively rubberstamp the armed forces’ decision to begin them, regardless of the President’s position on the matter:
What my uncle told me was that Mrs. Arroyo actually ordered the attacks against MILF after the generals have already decided to launch the AFP offensive.
Arroyo’s inability to control her temper, his hypothesis went on, is actually borne out of her fright of the generals’ deciding by themselves without consulting her. She made a complete turn-around in his policy towards the MILF to appease the generals who were clearly pissed off with the BJE deal she made with the rebel group. And she wanted to appease the generals as soon as possible, hence her uncontrolled emotions for the delay of the taping.
At first I dismissed this as another conspiracy theory from a Gloria-hater. But veteran journalist Ellen Tordessillias, in a reply to a comment I posted on her blog, confirmed that, indeed, the anti-MILF mopping operations were actually carried out before the Bitch ordered them.
Note that Tordesilla’s military sources are excellent. I’d also heard on my own from a retired senior officer that Camp Aguinaldo had leaked the RP-MILF agreement to the media in the first place, and when I asked the retired officer if the agreement had the sanction of the AFP, the retired officer had emphatically shaken his head and said, “no, the AFP will fight!”
Note that Tordesilla’s military sources are excellent. I’d also heard on my own from a retired senior officer that Camp Aguinaldo had leaked the RP-MILF agreement to the media in the first place, and when I asked the retired officer if the agreement had the sanction of the AFP, the retired officer had emphatically shaken his head and said, “no, the AFP will fight!”
Put another way (see Philippine Politics 04: Arroyo needs to defend and explain the MOA-AD) if the President really did see the deal as an opportunity to display statesmanship, her statesmanlike resolve dissolved quite quickly, indeed. And Fifth, I’d say, a kind of latent nationalism everyone in official circles had assumed wasn’t there anymore (see This is what will happen to the Philippines after signing the GRP – MILF Memorandum of Agreement : OTWOMD | Bluepanjeet.Net)
The President hasn’t given supporters of the peace deal any chance to save themselves or the cause of peace. Which, sad to say, has been the repeated experience of those who still suffer from the delusion that they can achieve their idealistic goals by means of a pragmatic alliance with the President.
So if there are defenders, still, of the MOA: MOA-AD a path to peace, says Archbishop Quevedo « SCRIPTORIUM and refer to Red’s Herring: SC review imperils Mindanao peace process; then see The Palace’s High Cost of Learning | ralphguzman.org.
And refer to GOING IN CIRCLES « THE MOUNT BALATUCAN MONITOR and PUSONG MAMON « THE MOUNT BALATUCAN MONITOR to get a glimpse into how people -particularly Filipinos seized by uncertainty in the affected areas of Mindanao- began to send the message to civilian and military officials alike that in the absence of any reassuring information that the government knew what it was doing and would defend citizens seized by panic, that they would then take matters into their own hands.
And the would do so in the manner of their forefahers, see Viva Iligan! « preMEDitated:
In the speech, he appealed for:
Calm.
Bravery.
Community.
And Solidarity.He also urged community leaders to lead the people under them, to prepare for the worst, and fight if the need arose. He also mentioned the presence of the tanks and the several thousand strong army defending Iligan.
He also mentioned that the people of Iligan should not be afraid because God and Senior San Miguel was on our side. He closed his speech with a, “Viva Senior San Miguel!, to which the people heartily replied a “Viva”.
Although, I’m Protestant and do not agree with Catholic veneration of saints and even angels, I could not help but realize that the Mayor was speaking the heart language of the Iliganon, something that they could understand. He was speaking the old language of the Spanish times at the time when the citizens of the old fort of Iligan defended the fort and even waged battle against the Moros. Historically, even though Iligan was just a doorstep away from the Moro stronghold of Marawi, it was never conquered by Muslims despite the fact that at that time their pirates raided Christian towns as far away as Luzon.
“War,” Clausewitz famously wrote, “is the continuation of politics by other means.” Samuel Johnson also famously warned that “patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels,” and yet it is also a time when a formerly divided people can find unity and leaders can tap into a kind of mystical reservoir of national solidarity and idealism:
As Juned Sonido, perhaps one of the most even-tempered bloggers around reflected, in a time of conflict there is the need to be aware of the dangers of jingoism and the imperative that should weigh heavily on all those in authority: to provide protection from those who hold allegiance to the state. What distinguishes the two? A clear and present danger, a compelling need:
At present waltzing around the negotiation table is as useful as cupping a corpse. It is hard to negotiate when one side has not given up the armed option or has no control over its army while the other side seems to be following the likes Neville Chamberlain at Munich – practicing vermi-negotiation or the art and science of negotiations by the worms at Munich.
Meanwhile, the war continues and people are hurt. A few hours ago a bomb was exploded in Zamboanga. Will this again reach the other corners of the country. Another bomb in the MRT or LRT?
Is this jingoism? No. This is a matter of national self defense.
It is the duty of the State to protect the citizens who opt to stay in this country. Otherwise these same citizens will go to other means to protect themselves.
You have to wonder whether such viligantism can view anything other than bloodcurdling hostility as acceptable.
By way of Carl Parkes — FriskoDude: Philippines: The Sulu Zone of Peace who points us to Jolo’s gun culture – Sidetrip with Howie Severino, we catch a glimpse of the complexities of conflict and clan relationships among the Moros. Those like the Catholic bishops clamoring for peace know from personal experience that peace is possible but peace between Christians and Muslims is made doubly difficult as peace among the Moros is difficult enough to achieve. Though it can be done: see A Lesson on Clan Conflict Resolution in the Philippines.
The reality however is that even though it’s always denied it, the Palace is sensitive to public opinion particularly when that opinion starts triggering May, 2001 flashbacks in the President’s inner circle.
Where that opinion is -and how it’s increasingly hostile to any policy other than crushing the MILF- can be gleaned from surveying the blogosphere:
See The Journal of The Jester-in-Exile: Are Yu Dif? Didna Her? then The Philippine Experience, as well as fiesty commentaries from mindanao is the land, promise « Geisha (gay’sya) Diaries and Mindanao « the Scribe in Me and The Art and Science of – Notes from an Apathetic Atenean Doctor. As well as idiosyncratic thoughts: hay.. and A SCENARIO EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH OUT « THE MOUNT BALATUCAN MONITOR.
On a more philosophical note, two entries discuss A Just War | Filipino Voices and A Just War: Road to A Just Peace | Filipino Voices (what is a “Just War”? See Just War – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). The voices raised against war are few and far between, see: Oppose the Mindanao War « Pinoy Observer
And while some will ask (and perhaps hope) Critical Criterion Edition: Peace in Mindanao? Here is A sober reminder that the war is real | Filipino Voices which makes for cautionary reading, as does this entry from General Santos City, in For the Children | HomewardBound:
12:52 PM Our principal called for an emergency meeting, the second meeting we had today that zeroed in on matters of safety and security. The schools has received calls that messages were circulating about schools in General Santos City whose students and teachers were hostaged. We were not very sure of the report but for the reason that we have to secure the safety of our students, we have decided to send them home.
However, we could not simply let them take the public transport, which will drop them in downtown GenSan. So, we arranged for vehicles that will take them to their respective homes. Those who have their own vehicles were fetched by their parents.
What happened in the elementary school is a different story. Panicking parents rushed to the school fetching their kids. Some drivers told us about the chaos in the elementary school.
Some member of the authorities went to our school to reassure us that none of the reported events were true and that we are relatively safer here. That’s a bit of a relief. But who knows what will happen next? Better safe than sorry.
Intuitive: We Need Your Prayers echoes the unreported reality for most Filipinos, worried about loved ones and even their property and livelihoods. Meanwhile, everyone waits to see which side will escalate matters and bring the front lines to other metropolitan centers of the Philippines.
A sign of extreme fear with a heavy tinger of paranoia is the entry from Balatucan monitor, which starts with a level-headed conclusion:
The barbaric and inhuman attacks perpetrated by the MILF in Lanao provinces was a big propaganda nightmare for the MILF. Public opinion was turned against them. Even how they justified their attacks as an “emotional outburst†over the stalled signing of MOA on ancestral domain, nothing can justify the killing of innocent civilians.
Suddenly the MILF is losing credibility except for their diehard supporters who support barbaric acts just to attain their selfish goals. Even Moro people were ashamed at the actions of the MILF. They say its un Islamic and inhuman. TV footages shown on TV undeniably showed the merciless and inhuman treatment of the MILF against Christians in the area.
– – –
Now the MILF wants to counter these by peddling lies such as destruction of “downtrodden Muslim communities.†But nobody will believe it. Commander Bravo denied he was responsible for the attacks in Lanao. But no sooner, 31 of his men belied his statements by telling all the orders of Commander Bravo to kill men, women, old people and children.
And then the extensions into the possibilities:
My fear is that the MILF, desperate to get media mileage and sympathy for the Moros who are ashamed of what they did would do the horrible. That ,the MILF will orchestrate a massacre of its own people and blamed it to the military and the Christians to step up the hatred a little higher. That is possible. The barbarity of the MILF has no limits. Its all out now and the once unthinkable will be possible.
I simply cannot understand the sight of people who were seeking peace strapped in bandoleers and caressing M-16 and grenade launchers in the likes of the epic saga of Sylvester Stallone in Rambo 1 to 3. If our heart bleed because we are deaf to the cries of our Muslim brothers for peace, imagine how much we ache if they cry for war.
Yes siree, you do not want peace. You want power and territory as a tactical struggle to establish your own republic.
“O what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!†(Sir Walter Scott (1771 – 1832)
“You have to wonder whether such viligantism can view anything other than bloodcurdling hostility as acceptable.”
Jesus Christ. Vigilantism? Are you mad? It’s self-defense. In any country you go, defending oneself against armed raiders is acceptable. Your opinion on human violence is very severely crippled.
“A sign of extreme fear with a heavy tinger of paranoia ”
Christ all mighty. Check your words, man! paranoia. May mga pinatay na nga eh, paranoia pa rin sayo. Maski bata pinatay. Jihad na nga sabi ni Bravo, paranoia parin interpretation mo. Please explain your point again. This time try not to use words like “Paranoia”: “a mental condition characterized by delusions of persecution, unwarranted jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance, typically elaborated into an organized system. It may be an aspect of chronic personality disorder, of drug abuse, or of a serious condition such as schizophrenia in which the person loses touch with reality.” fro my Macbook dictionary.
above is addressed to Manolo and UP n and especially to people of good sense.
Let’s accept it. Gloria is the problem.
adapted from the Sound of Music
‘She climbs a tree and scrapes her knee
Her dress has got a tear
She waltzes on her way to Mass
And whistles on the stair
And underneath her wimple
She has curlers in her hair
I even heard her singing in the abbey
She’s always late for chapel
But her penitence is real
She’s always late for everything
Except for every meal
I hate to have to say it
But I very firmly feel
Gloria’s not an asset to the Philippines
I’d like to say a word in her behalf
Gloria makes me laugh
How do you solve a problem like Gloria?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Gloria?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o’-the wisp! A clown!
Many a thing you know you’d like to tell her
Many a thing she ought to understand
But how do you make her stay
And listen to all you say
How do you keep a wave upon the sand
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Gloria?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?
When I’m with her I’m confused
Out of focus and bemused
And I never know exactly where I am
Unpredictable as weather
She’s as flighty as a feather
She’s a darling! She’s a demon! She’s a lamb!
She’d outpester any pest
Drive a hornet from its nest
She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl
She is gentle! She is wild!
She’s a riddle! She’s a child!
She’s a headache! She’s an angel!
She’s a girl!
How do you solve a problem like Gloria?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Gloria?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o’-the wisp! A clown!
Many a thing you know you’d like to tell her
Many a thing she ought to understand
But how do you make her stay
And listen to all you say
How do you keep a wave upon the sand
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Gloria?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?’
paranoia : noun {Etymology: New Latin, from Greek, madness, from paranous demented, from para- + nous mind }
1 : a psychosis characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur usually without hallucinations
2 : a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others
To BrianB… I’ve re-read the Balatucan blogpost “A Scenario Every One Should Watch Out { For }”. You are right — sensationalism is the stronger-, paranoia is the weaker explanation for the blogpost entry. On second-reading, what I now sense is a cold-blooded attempt by its author to outshock and out-scoop with the phrase …. … orchestrate a massacre of its own people .
Sigh.
So after letting the Americans dock their ships in our waters, after all those balikatan exercises, after all those PR releases of how our army is being trained by crack GI Joe forces in counter-terrorism, we still can’t wipe out the bandits?
What’s taking GMA, er the generals, so long?? supot naman pala yang us military assistance.
We should ask help from the Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais. Maybe they are a little bit better (and more experienced) in dealing with the bandits.
Whatever happened to General Garcia? Did the Military get their money back? Pambili rin ng sapatos, kawawa naman mga conscripts.
the problem was hailing the MOA as the final piece for peace in mindanao, but when questioned in the supreme court about it’s legality everyone in the gov’t washes their hands like pontius pilate and left the MILF negotiators hanging to dry. should the MILF who was lead to believe that they will at last get what they asked for, for generations be upset? what do you think if you’re in their place? still the killings are not justifiable for any reasons whatsoever.
then malacanang wants charter change to federalism to make this MOA valid/legal. is this a case of putting the cart before the horse? or just a ploy by the malacanang to sneak through the backdoor, to get someone an extended stay in power? should the our moslem brothers feel they were used by their christian brothers in the government for their own gain?
now that the war is re-ignited and is spiralling out of control, malacanang will get it’s wish after all. emergency power, martial law! extended stay in power.
paranoia???
‘uncertainty concerning traditional allies such as the United States’
The US will only commit to supplying arms to the Philippines if it can get a naval/air base preferably near Mindanao. Let’s lease some of the islands in southern Palawan for 10 years. We get a ready supply of arms plus a base to counteract Malaysia’s naval base in Lubang.
…or am i just giving malacanang too much credit? from it’s track record they are not that smart. they’re just plain and simple bullies with their generals as the muscle/enforcer if they’re unable to buy their way.
maybe it is by accident that malacanang will finally get it’s wish.
paranoia???
Harapin natin ang katotohanan. Hindi kaya ng GRP na mag-simula o tapusin ang all out war sa Mindanaw. Tanongin nyo ang mga Kano sa katarantaduhan nila sa Iraq.
Di ba malinaw na kung kaya ng GRP, bakit sila gustong makipagusap sa mga ‘terorista’? Animin natin na walang bisa ang sovereignty ng Pilipinas sa Moroland. Ang kaya lang ikulong ng militar ay ang Magdalo. Ang MILF ay hindi nila kaya. Maliwanag ba yan?
Isa pa. Ang pag-gamit ng bomba sa mga civilian ay massacre. Ang massacre ay terrorism? And terrorism ay hindi maka-Kristyano. Pagpaka-Islam naman kayo paminsan-minsan, gaya ng ating mga ninuno o gaya ni Raja Suleiman at Lapu-Lapu. Matatapang sila pero lumalaban ng parehas.
Isang tanong at isang sagot. Gusto nyo bang magusap o gusto nyo talaga ng gulo???
Kiram: hindi kaya ng MILF na pa-alisin sa Mindanao ang mga sundalo ng Republika Pilipinas.
KIRAM,
Hold your horses. You have no idea of what the government is capable of if the dice is cast. And you have no idea that the US soldiers in Iraq, contrary to your posture, are loved by the peace-loving Iraquis but are hated by the Muslim Al Queda type, just the way you hated the government and the U.S. But let us not beat the drums of war and stop our sabre rattling.
Any blood spilled, whether that of christian or muslim is not worth our parochial claim for ancestral land. let us consider every piece of land in the archipelago as philippine land of which every Filipino, regardless of faith has the birthright to till, to own and to cultivate so we can support our family and be productive members of our society.
Should Mainland China land-policy become implemented over the Philippines, then the concept of land-inheritance is kaput, and land-inheritance kaput means ancestral-domain kaput.
Makes you wonder why the MILF has JoMa as an adviser. I guess it is the “special ties” to North Korea AK47’s.
“Note that Tordesilla’s military sources are excellent. I’d also heard on my own from a retired senior officer that Camp Aguinaldo had leaked the RP-MILF agreement to the media in the first place, and when I asked the retired officer if the agreement had the sanction of the AFP, the retired officer had emphatically shaken his head and said, “no, the AFP will fight!â€Â
MLQ3,
the paragraph was posted twice.(pls ignore message, if already corrected)
Kiram: Doblehin mo pa ang mga sundalo ng MILF, hindi nila kayang pa-alisin ang mga sundalo ng Republika Pilipinas sa Mindanao.
Ang lakas lang ng MILF ay sa pambubuwisit. Ang problema naman, ang problema, pag nambuwisit ang MILF dahil gustong mag-alburoto….. pumapatay ng mga civilians. Tandaan mo, it will be stupid foolishness to believe that the Philippine Armed Forces will abandon the civilians of Mindanao to terrorists and kidnap-for-ransom thugs.
Many people most especially pundits on this blog are unaware that Anwar Ibrahim has to ally himself with the more conservative fundamentalist Islamic parties for him to attempt to seize power of the Federal nationalist government. Several Malay states already are under the sway of a coalition of parties which have Islamic fundamentalist party amongst the coalition. (PAS) The PAS party is calling for a theocratic state.
This talk of SAM’s in the hands of the MILF is silly conjecture.
That went out with the introduction of hand held SAS anti- tank and hand held SAM’s. They are effective but expensive. No major power or for that matter Malaysia would escalate the trouble since within their own state they do have a powerful Islamic party competing for power.
The issue of the interest of Malaysia in the Philippines is a foregone historical fact. Malaysia economy is part state owned and part Chinese-Malay owned. The Kuok family are Chinese Malay. There are other Chinese Malays that have large investments in the Philippines already.
Some experts say that the arable land in the Philippines is between 6-7 million hectares. Some say it is up to 10M hectares. (A lot of this has already been urbanized) The Kuok Group has already signified an intention to lease 1 M hectares of land. That would mean Mindanao.
Meanwhile the Malay government and other Arab states would like to lease land to grow food for them just like the PRC. (Malaysia would like to get more land for their palm oil plantations.)
Big business interests will naturally demand that they have clear directions on who to deal with in Mindanao.
The MILF are claiming to represent the interests of the so called Bangsamoro constituency.
No one has ever seen a mass movement in Mindanao where you have a constituency of people demanding substantial change and separation from the Republic.
Those poor guys do not realize that the fight is about who will deal with foreign interests for the land.
Pinoys would like to leave their own country for obvious reasons.
haha
thank you for reminding us that point noel
for me i dont like war..
nakakatamad, id rather play online games or surf the internet or talk politics..
*yawns*
“Should Mainland China land-policy become implemented over the Philippines, then the concept of land-inheritance is kaput, and land-inheritance kaput means ancestral-domain kaput.” Punditry displaying ignorance
The concept of ancestral domain is for the state to recognize that certain lands belong to certain communities based on historical tradition.
Those communities then can decide for themselves on how property rights will be implemented.
Freehold or leasehold systems are imposed by a state. Tribal communities may decide on communal ownership or otherwise. Just like the Indian tribes in the U.S.
From Rodrik’s blog
When the state does not enforce property rights
… the Mafia–or, as happens in this case, the Taliban–will. The setting is Ziarat in the tribal northwest territory of Pakistan and its potentially profitable marble quarries. The region’s tribal groups have been unable to sort out competing property rights over the quarries, and the Pakistani central government has been powerless to assert its authority despite repeated attempts. Who steps in to assign and enforce property rights–at a price, of course–but the Taliban:
The Taliban decided that one mountain in the Ziarat area belonged to the Masaud division of the main Safi tribe, and said that the Gurbaz subtribe would be rewarded with another mountain, Mr. Zaman, the contractor, said.
The mountain assigned to the Masauds was divided into 30 portions, he said, and each of six villages in the area was assigned five of the 30 portions. Mr. Zaman said the Taliban demanded about $1,500 commission upfront for each portions, giving the insurgents a quick $45,000.
The Taliban also demanded a tax of about $7 on each truckload of marble, he said. With a constant flow of trucks out of the quarry, the Taliban are now collecting up to $500 a day, Mr. Zaman said.
After four years of lying dormant, the New York Times reports the mines are making brisk business. Three cheers for third-party enforcement of property rights!
“It is the economy stupid”
The NPA method of taxation in their zones where their influence is strong and the states is weak is the same.
Part of the Peace Process is to CHANGE OUR UNITARY REPUBLIC TO THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES: CHACHA…
“Because of the serious weaknesses and disadvantages of our unitary system:
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 â€â€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 underdevelopmentâ€â€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.”
http://www.i-site.ph/Focus/ConCom/Abueva-Why-Change-from-Unitary-to-Federal-Republic.pdf
“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.
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.
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.
bakit ba stuck pa rin ang mga tao since 1946 mentality? why not support CHACHA?
Minority ang muslim sa Mindanao, so why do we think they can ever rule there?
The Kuok, I’ve heard, re nice people.
Besides, t’s a safe bet that there will be always hostilities. Let’s not make promises to our people that there will be any lasting peace. This is immature. One option is to treat armed rebels officially as bandits, but decrease their numbers first.
“Minority ang muslim sa Mindanao, so why do we think they can ever rule there?”
Because since Spanish and Chinese mestizos rule Pinas, Moros should also rule Mindanao?
it is amazing that christian filipinos keep on forgetting our roots, that our ninuno are the malays. christianity is the lasting legacy of spaniard colonialism! why the hatred toward each other??? like it or not we are of malay race!!! it is a fact and we are all blood brothers from apari to jolo!
istambay, Unless we are all willing to forsake Christianity that doesn’t matter. What matters is that there is a large armed group in Mindanao that is still now beyond the pale of the law and do not accept Philippine sovereignty.
“Gusto nyo bang magusap o gusto nyo talaga ng gulo???”
hay naku, it’s not about being christian or muslim. these guys are thugs!
the people of sabah have been fighting their own struggle for autonomy from kuala lumpur but they don’t have violent bandits hijacking the process. if the sabah moros can do it peacefully the mindanao moros can too. let’s all kick out these thugs on both sides.
and of course their right (Sabahans) to self-determination is something that should be supported and i fully support the moros righ to the same even if they break up the country – kasi, i live in the cordilleras, alangan naman ipagpilitan ko ang republika kung ayaw ng iba eh di hayaan natin silang humiwalay para lahat masaya at walang gulo. pero, parang if have a clean referendum, you still won’t get the majority agreeing to secession and the nationalists/patriots are just as willing to die for this abstract concept of ‘republic/nation’ ek-ek
we are not of the malay race..
we are austronesian peoples..
the malays descended from our people..
as well as the polynesians..
i hope that you get that fact clear..
This is from Maceda’s Mr. Expose:
to hvrds: I’m glad you got “it” —- Mainland-China land-policy (which does not support the concept of land-inheritance) is an alien concept for the Filipino setting with the practice of passing property from parents to children. Satur Ocampo better get the message, too, so he stops trying to insert China-land-policy into the Philippine legal system.
Now I must admit confusion — your message is about the Taliban and those tribes and the marble mountain. Three cheers??? For extortion???
Note BrianB’s comment : it matters when a large armed grooup operates beyond the pale of the law.
You only need to read the MOA-AD to know something else was being cooked. Throw in the statement of the President during her SONA hailing a purported peace deal that was to end the decades-old conflict in Mindanao and asking Congress for supporting legislation. What followed were endless words of praises for a document the contents of which they would not want divulged because it is just-trust-us-we’ll-do-the- right-thing kind of thing, until the contents were leaked and out we see what a terrible document pala they want to sign on behalf of the government— by what authority, who knows. Kaya pala itinatago.
Can we assume that GMA did not even bother to read it or has not at least consulted a lawyer?
Hahahahihihihohohohuhuhu!
BTW, where’s the let’s-move-on crowd.
PEOPLE. Islam is a religion. If we base that ancestral domain mumbo jumbo on heredity, parehong may karapatan mga bisaya dyan at mga moro. Sa totoo lang.
Kasalanan ito nang media dahil pinasanay nila ang moro sa ganyang pag-iisip. Dahil hindi lang palasalita mga Ilonggo ang angulo nila pabor sa moro.
Its a bullies’ fight!
American “involvement” in the MOA-AD with MILF could be a left-handed play to prevent the new big boy in the block (China) from consolidating its power in GI Joe’s old sphere of influence, with a win-win result:
1. If the MOA pushed through, then GI Joe gets to have an ally with in the Bangsa Moro entity.
2. If it unraveled, as it recently did, then guess who gets to supply the boys’ firepower? Maybe the lords of war are looking ahead of an Obama presidency to end the firefight in Iraq.
Incredible, but possible.
“BTW, where’s the let’s-move-on crowd.”
far ahead already, since they are always moving
|who gets to supply the boys’ firepower?”
-any soldier who is so underpaid and overworked and doesn’t really want to be in a war zone (who does?) will be tempted easily sell his weapons and ammo to any takers.
that’s pretty much the supply chain in mindanao.
The 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA), which amends section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act states that the Secretary of State is authorized to designate an organization as a “foreign terrorist organization†if three conditions are met:
1. The organization is foreign;
2. The organization engages in terrorist activity;
3. The terrorist activity threatens the security of United States citizens or the national security of the United States
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) does not appear on the U.S. State Department’s or the United Nations’ list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).
The MILF Must Be Designated A “Foreign Terrorist Organization”! This will cut its financial links with its foreign patrons!
austronesians, malays, formosans, micronesians, polynesians, & melanesians all came from same part the globe. same as filipino from luzon, visayas and mindanao.
it is a known fact that mindanao have been abused for it’s natural resources by the central gov’t with very little regard to it’s environment and people’s welfare for generations.
number and firepower is not a definite determining factor in war. look at the spartans. do not underestimate the motivation of fighting for your birth right. could be said same as bonifacio and the katipuneros with their bolos against spaniards’ superior training and firepower or lapu lapu against magellan. so the talk of superiority in terms of number and firepower by the the gov’t troops is just bullying tactic.
Austronesian peoples consist of the following groupings by name and geographic location.
* Formosan: Taiwan. ex. Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Paiwan.
* Malayo-Polynesian:
o Borneo Groups, Kadazan, Iban, Murut,
o Central Filipino: Central and Southeastern Luzon. ex. Tagalog, Bicolano
o Chamic group: Cambodia, Hainan, Vietnam. ex. Chams, Jarai, Utsuls.
o Igorot: Cordilleras. ex. Balangao, Ibaloi, Isneg, Kankanaey.
o Lumad: Mindanao. ex. Kamayo, Manobo, Tasaday, T’boli.
o Malagasy: Madagascar. ex. Betsileo, Merina, Sakalava, Tsimihety.
o Malays: Malaysia, Brunei, Pattani, Singapore, Sumatra.
o Melanesians: Melanesia. ex. Kanak, Ni-Vanuatu.
o Micronesians: Micronesia. ex. Carolinian, Chamorros, Palauan.
o Moken: Myanmar, Thailand.
o Moro: Bangsamoro (Mindanao, Sulu archipelago). ex. Maguindanao, Maranao, Tausug.
o Northern Filipino: Northern Luzon. ex. Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan
o Polynesians: Polynesia. Fijians, MÄÂori, Native Hawaiians, Samoans.
o Visayans: Visayas. ex. Aklanon, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray.
filipinos under malayo-polynesians, malay archipelago with borneo.
AbuSayyaf and CPP/NPA are on the US State Department List of FTO’s (foreign terrorist organization):
# Abu Nidal Organization (ANO)
# Abu Sayyaf Group
# Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade
# Ansar al-Islam
# Armed Islamic Group (GIA)
# Asbat al-Ansar
# Aum Shinrikyo
# Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
# Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army (CPP/NPA)
# Continuity Irish Republican Army
# Gama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group)
# HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement)
# Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)
# Hizballah (Party of God)
# Islamic Jihad Group
# Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)
# Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) (Army of Mohammed)
# Jemaah Islamiya organization (JI)
– – –
# Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
# Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG)
– – –
# al-Qa’ida
# al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly GSPC)
# Real IRA
# Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
# Revolutionary Nuclei (formerly ELA)
# Revolutionary Organization 17 November
# Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C)
# Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL)
# United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)
———————————–
Palusot ng MILF, ang bomba at kidnap-for-ransom ay Abu Sayyaf, hindi sila. At ang tumutulong sa JI, hindi daw nila alam, pero hindi daw sila.
Pero saan pa rin kumukuha nang pera ang MILF hindi lang sa riple, bala at uniporme pero para may ma-iabot linggo-linggo sa mga sundalo nila para pang-araw araw na gastos at sigarilyo?
anthony scalia
BTW, where’s the let’s-move-on crowd.â€Â
far ahead already, since they are always moving
TOWARDS WHERE?
McCain has chosen a gurl!!!!!! Sarah Palin.
Nice.
Sadly, she’s an evangelical christian. Ewwwww.
Sarah Palin who? A woman to pander to Hillary Clinton democrats. Cheap shot?
Palin a direct pitch (PSI uses “pander”) to Hillary Clinton supporters. And Palin ain’t no millionaire (I don’t think — former mayors of towns of under 10,000-people usually non-millionaires). I can imagine her bonding to those worried about education, health care, and disabled (her youngest has Down’s Syndrome) but still with “race is not a disability” as the non-message.
But hey… mud is sure to fly!!!! “She fired someone who refused to hire her brother-in-law” is already mentioned.
McCain could have just drafted no.2 most powerful woman Secretary of State Ms. Condeleeza Rice to have a better desired effect.
Sarah Palin is also known as “The Baracuda”, being a tough young woman of 44 years. From what I understand, she’s the governor of Wasila, Alaska–a population of 54,000 people.
<Palusot ng MILF, ang bomba at kidnap-for-ransom ay Abu Sayyaf, hindi sila. At ang tumutulong sa JI, hindi daw nila alam, pero hindi daw sila… UPn
buti ka pa UPn at alam mong may ugnayan ang milf sa abu sayyaf pero mukhang mahihina ata kokote ng mga nasa US state department at hindi makita ang ugnayan.
UP n student,
Come to think about it, you have a point.
A little- known state executive to also pander to middle America, also known as the Wal Mart crowd.
Americans should now be wiser.
‘Sarah Palin who? A woman to pander to Hillary Clinton democrats. Cheap shot?’
American women will now have to decide between electing the first black President now or setting the stage for a future female President.
“She fired someone who refused to hire her brother-in-law†is already mentioned.”
Palin fired the guy because he would not fire her sister’s ex-husband.