Framework for lasting peace — or failed experiment?
Former President Ramos, while asserting that the ARMM was not a failed experiment, expressed optimism and declared he has nothing against creating a new entity to replace the ARMM. He however advised the present administration to “really sit down the line so that ordinary people of Mindanao will enjoy its benefits,” urging consultations with people in the south, whether they be “Christians, Muslims and Lumads.”
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News & Strategy Alerts Nation The party-list clean-up touches off sparks The Comelec campaign to delist bogus groups elicits charges of partisanship which it must seriously address
Indeed, should the Framework Agreement seek to actually bring lasting and genuine peace in the Muslim areas of Mindanao, the experience of past administrations must be taken into consideration by the respective Peace Panels of the government and the MILF to avoid the same mistakes that caused the failure of previous efforts to solve the insurgency problem.
The prospects for peace and progress. As
observed by The CenSEI Report in our previous installment on the Bangsamoro peace process, the Aquino government’s attempt to woo the MILF into signing a peace deal is commendable. But the peace negotiators should keep in mind that more important than appeasing the dominant rebel group is the need to ensure that every ethnic or religious group in Mindanao enjoy the rights and reap the development gains from any agreement. Plainly, for lasting peace and security, the end-result should be harmony, democracy and progress in all of Mindanao as part of the Republic. That elusive goal and what needs to be done not just on the negotiating table, but more so on the ground and in the governance chambers in Manila and Mindanao, shall be the subject of another report. Meanwhile, the nation can only hope that all sides dealing with the challenge of peace making in Mindanao will take to heart and apply resolutely the lessons from both successes and setbacks in four decades of the Muslim insurgency in the Philippines.
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Akbayan spokesperson Ibarra Gutierrez III and Anakbayan chairman Vencer Crisostomo debate on TV ANC/YouTube
To ensure that party-list groups truly represent marginalized groups in Congress, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is cracking down on bogus entities. Predictably, those losing accreditation have cried foul, casting doubt on Comelec’s impartiality. As of Oct. 25, the Comelec has barred 50 organizations from the 2013 midterm elections. Among those disqualified based on a Philippine Daily Inquirer report are: Ako Bicol, which got the most votes in 2010, 1-CARE, Apec, Kakusa (Kapatiran ng mga Nakulong ng Walang Sala, led by ex-convict Romeo Jalosjos), and the anti-communist Bantay, represented by retired general Jovito Planarian, now wanted for alleged rights violations in his counter-insurgency campaign.
• October 29-November 11, 2012
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