MILF: Editorial - ‘MILF communities’ in Region 9

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Dec 16): Editorial - ‘MILF communities’ in Region 9

Contrary to the claim contained in Resolution No. 06-2017 passed by the Regional Peace and Order Council IX, MILF (and MNLF) communities/areas abound in this region. This has been a fact since the MILF came into being in 1977 --- and they keep on growing and maturing as time passes by. They are home-grown, and they are there, as Moros, forever. That is their birthright to live and die here.
Region IX is composed of five cities such as Dapitan, Dipolog, Isabela, Pagadian, and Zamboanga located in the three provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay. All in all, it has 67 municipalities.

The government and MILF defined MILF areas/communities as referring to the places in Mindanao identified by their peace panels where the MILF elements are situated, irrespective of whether they are combatants or ordinary members. While they are mainly located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but there are sizeable numbers outside of it including faraway Palawan.

It is not good to deny the existence of these MILF communities/areas in this region; the facts on the ground, on the contrary, are overwhelming and they cannot be suppressed. It is like beating the surface of water which splashes back right into the face of the beater or person.

But their presence here including Zamboanga City, aside from reality, is a big plus factor for the promotion of peace in Mindanao. MILF political and military officers are fully cooperating in the furtherance of the peace process and the observance of the ceasefire between MILF and government forces. At present, the government and MILF are not only in partnership in the peace process and maintenance of the ceasefire but also in many activities such as in anti-kidnapping, anti-criminal gangsterism, anti-drug trafficking, and lately in anti-terrorism.

To take note, the inclusion of terrorists, both local and foreigner, in their latest agreement was made possible after lengthy deliberation. It passed through the proverbial eye of the needle test which provided that only individuals and not organizations can be classified and to be “mutually identified” as such by the parties.

Terrorism is a vague term that is prone to many interpretations, and at times to abuses, hence the caveat. This is provided in the Revised Implementing Guidelines on the Joint Communique’ of May 6, 2002 signed by government and MILF on December 17, 2017.

However, if the purpose of the Resolution No. 06-2017 passed by the Regional Peace and Order Council IX, in declaring that there is no presence of MILF, and MNLF communities/areas in Region IX is probably to register the region’s leaders’ abhorrence to be part of the future Bangsamoro political entity, then there is little sense to it. The Moros are already minoritized in this region due to massive migrations of people from Luzon and the Visayas at the turn of last century. There is virtually no chance of this region becoming part of this entity. More importantly, the MILF prefers a small and compact territory where the populations are overwhelmingly Moros, because that is precisely the purpose for the grant of autonomy. It is for them and not for other people. (We don’t know for the MNLF; they have their own agreement with the government, which President Rodrigo Roa Duterte repeatedly said he is committed to implement. We respect their standpoint and their agreement with government).

All premises considered, we appeal to leaders of this region the likes of Mayor Maria Isabelle G. Climaco, Congressman Celso Lobregat, and Governor Antonio Ceriles to support the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) which is now under deliberation in Congress. This proposed law is key to peace and development in Mindanao and an effective antidote to rising violent extremism plaguing the region. It is time to close all the vestiges of the Moro-Spanish War that ended 119 years ago. We have tested the devastating effects of enmity and violence and nobody won. Already, we have now come to terms with reality that enemies before should and must embrace and cooperate with one another. This is good for all of us, in fact, the only good way forward.

http://www.luwaran.com/news/article/1122/---milf-communities----in-region-9