136 CONGRESSMEN WANT MOA WITH MILF RE-NEGOTIATED

136 CONGRESSMEN WANT MOA WITH MILF RE-NEGOTIATED

MANILA, AUGUST 16, 2008 (STAR) By Delon Porcalla - A total of 136 congressmen out of 238 members of the House or Representatives signed yesterday a resolution urging Malacañang to renegotiate the controversial memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that would provide territory to the rebels.

South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio also revealed that all of the deputies of Speaker Prospero Nograles, except for Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong, were among the signatories to House Resolution 733.

Likewise, most of the 59 lawmakers from Mindanao, particularly those whose districts will be affected by the proposed creation of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE), which will provide a separate state for the MILF, have also signified their objections to the agreement.

Custodio, along with Reps. Emmylou Talino-Mendoza of North Cotabato and Maria Isabelle Climaco of Zamboanga, have lamented the government’s move to push through with the signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain without even consulting them.

They want the signing of the MOA-AD, which has been the subject of a temporary restraining order of the Supreme Court, renegotiated and revised.

Makati Rep. Teddyboy Locsin has expressed strong opposition to the MOA-AD.

“If the purpose of Charter change is to accommodate the MOA, it should be stopped by any means. And I mean any. No amount of charter change, however large the scale of public approval, will ever make it right,” the lawyer-congressman, a former publisher, said.

Palace officials snub Senate hearing

Malacañang officials and representatives of the MILF snubbed the Senate public hearing that started yesterday on the MOA-AD.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Presidential Adviser for Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon Jr., chief negotiator Rodolfo Garcia, and Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Sealana, chairman of the government Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities did not attend the joint hearing of the Senate committees on peace, unification, and reconciliation, and on national defense and security chaired by Senators Jamby Madrigal and Rodolfo Biazon, respectively.

The rebel representatives who were invited but failed to attend were: Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of the MILF negotiating panel; and Ghadzali Jaafar, vice chairman for political affairs.

Angered by the absence of the Palace officials, Madrigal berated Esperon and the other invited resource persons for not attending the hearing on the MOA-AD.

“It is unfortunate that the peace panel led by Mr. Esperon refused to attend the joint hearing of the Senate due to the pendency of the case filed before the Supreme Court,” Madrigal said. “Why are they afraid to come and defend their position?”

Biazon also expressed regret over the failure of both the government and MIL negotiating panels to attend the hearing and enlighten the people.

In a one-page letter sent to the Senate, Teodoro said he did not attend the hearing because there is a scheduled oral argument today before the Supreme Court where the petition for writ of preliminary injunction and temporary retraining order is being heard.

Esperon also shared the same sentiment and deemed it prudent to wait for the ruling of the SC on the issue. Esperon sent Madrigal a letter, explaining his absence at yesterday’s hearing.

Sealana said he could not attend the hearing due to the current crisis with government troops and MILF forces fighting in Aleosan, Midsayap, Pikit, Libungan, and Pigcawayan, in North Cotabato.

Among those who attended the hearing were: North Cotabato Vice Gov. Emmanuel Piñol, Iligan Mayor Lawrence Cruz, Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat, Isabela Mayor Cherrylyn Acbar, professor Abhoud Syed Lingga, executive director of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies; Bobby Tuazon, director at the Center for People Empowerment in Governance; lawyer Zainudin Malang, executive director of the Bangsamoro Center for Law and Policy; and Irene Santiago of Mothers for Peace.

In a joint press conference, Lobregat, Cruz and Acbar said they are against the creation of the BJE and the subsequent dismemberment of their respective provinces.

The local officials said they have no objection about having a lasting peace in Mindanao but insisted there must be proper process including consultation since the MOA affects their people and territories.

Sen. Loren Legarda reiterated yesterday that she would oppose any agreement that would result to the establishment of a geographical grouping similar to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“Any agreement must also respect the territorial integrity of the Philippines. Dismembering our country is not an option,” Legarda said.

Sen. Manuel Roxas II said he would stand up for all Filipinos at the Supreme Court today to ensure that the MOA-AD does not push through.

He also called on the government to disclose how it plans to bring about peace as a result of the controversy generated by the MOA.

Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio said Mindanao governors, including those whose provinces may be included in the Bangsamoro homeland, have expressed conditional support for the MOA-AD.

Among the other governors present during the dialogue were Zamboanga del Sur’s Aurora Cerilles, Sarangani’s Miguel Rene Dominguez, Zamboanga del Norte’s Rolando Yebes, Agusan del Norte’s Erlpe John Amante, Zamboanga Sibugay’s George Hofer, Agusan del Sur’s Maria Valentina Cornelio, Basilan’s Jum Akbar, Sulu’s Abdusakur Tan, Lanao del Norte’s Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo, Misamis Occidental’s Loreto Leo Ocampos who is the president of the League of Provinces, Camiguin’s Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, Davao del Sur’s Douglas Cagas, Lanao del Sur’s Mamintal Adiong Jr., Dinagat’s Geraldine Villaroman, Misamis Oriental’s Oscar Moreno, and Joel Reyes of Palawan.

Officials meet religious leaders on MOA-AD

Government officials and religious leaders in Mindanao failed to resolve their differences after a meeting yesterday in Davao City, and many questions remained unanswered over the MOA-AD.

Doubts remained among the members of the Bishops’ Ulama Conference (BUC) after the three-hour meeting with Malacañang officials and members of the government negotiating panel, which was held at the Waterfront Insular Hotel in Davao City.

Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo told Radio Veritas that the religious leaders met Esperon, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, National Security Adviser (NSA) Norberto Gonzales, and Garcia.

The officials entertained questions from Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) vice president Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, Surigao del Sur and Zamboanga del Sur Archbishop Romulo Valles.

When asked if there was a change in the consensus among the BUC members after meeting with the government officials, the Cotabato bishop said: “I don’t think so. Based on the questions and the way they answered them, the general feeling was that there were still many questions such as on the inclusion of some territories, content and implication of the MOA that need to be clarified.”

Bagaforo complained of the lack of public consultation, particularly regarding sovereignty, the economic and financial aspects of the agreement and the distribution of natural resources.

He said the BUC would wait for the development at the Supreme Court where there is a pending temporary restraining order (TRO) against the implementation of the agreement. Oral arguments at the SC are set on Friday.

Government negotiator admits mistakes

Government chief negotiator Rodolfo Garcia admitted during the Davao meeting that the government peace panel has committed mistakes, including typographical errors that caused problems for the MOA.

“We are partly to blame for what is happening. There were mistakes that were committed. I’m sorry if it fell short of your and other people’s expectations,” Garcia told the participants to the meeting with the BUC.

Dureza blamed the premature “leaking” of the contents of the MOA that caused the delay in the peace process.

“The leaking was the reason why we were delayed, we could have been going forward. Look we were caught by the TRO,” Dureza said in the same BUC meeting, referring to the TRO that the Supreme Court issued stopping the government panel from signing the MOA in Kuala Lumpur last Aug. 5.

Archbishop Valles cited the erroneous inclusion of Zones 3 and 4 in Zamboanga City, where a Catholic Church and the city’s main government and commercial centers were located.

Valles said that the error was pointed out by somebody who saw it on July 29, two days after the MOA was initialed by the government and MILF panels.

“That was a costly mistake, which I admit. It was a typographical error. Zones 3 and 4 were never included in the more than 3,978 barangays that were originally included in the BJE which was whittled down to only 735,” Garcia admitted.

Garcia attributed the lack of proper consultations with different sectors in Mindanao to the small manpower of the government peace panel.

Esperon, however, assured the people that the MOA is the best step to achieve a final and lasting peace in Mindanao.

In a statement, Esperon admitted that the problem in Mindanao lies on the acceptability of the agreement on ancestral domain.

“There is no way that we can give up on the peace process. There are a lot things and recommendation that are worth pursuing,” Esperon said.

Meanwhile, the Makati Business Club also opposes the MOA that paves the way for the creation of a BJE.

“It is flawed in the process just as it is flawed in its provisions. What was lost in the process was any appreciation for legitimacy in a democracy that stems from winning consensus, including the consent of the governed. Many, if not all, of its provisions violate the Constitution, which strangely enough the memorandum never mentions by name,” the group said in a statement. - With Christina Mendez, Evelyn Macairan, Edith Regalado, Jose Rodel Clapano, Michael Punongbayan, Jess Diaz, Paolo Romero

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

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