On the escalating armed conflict in Mindanao

Statement by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan

August 26, 2008

Responsibility for the escalating armed conflict in Mindanao should be laid squarely on the US-backed Arroyo regime. Through its self-serving and deceitful maneuvers, the Arroyo regime has severely damaged the peace process, provoked armed confrontation, and allowed escalating foreign intervention in the country’s internal affairs including armed conflicts.

The Arroyo regime, with US instigation and support, negotiated in bad faith and raised the expectations of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro people, when the GRP negotiators agreed to the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA). The MOA, while recognizing on paper the Moro people’s right to self-determination, in particular their right to their ancestral domain, was calculated to flounder and fail in the face of legal challenges and the unfounded outcry that it would dismember the Philippine Republic.

The Arroyo regime knew that the MOA would require constitutional changes and that the Supreme Court’s intervention was very likely. Malacañang took no effort to unify its allies from among the Christian and Moro reactionary political leaders to accept the MOA. It was a calculated risk the regime took given its sinister agenda of neutralizing, if not destroying, the MILF as a revolutionary armed force and thereafter, coopting its leadership.

Opportunistically, the Arroyo clique wished to take advantage of the situation that the MOA would precisely entail constitutional revision, in order to open the doors wide open to its bid for term extension via Charter change or Chacha. However, by raising MILF expectations then backtracking on its commitments, the regime also set the stage for escalating armed conflict. Clashes between the MILF and the AFP ensued after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on the MOA signing, thereby threatening the fragile ceasefire between the GRP and MILF.

On one hand, the MILF must investigate and make accountable its commanders involved in reported attacks on civilians in North Cotobato, Basilan and Lanao. On the other hand, the responsibility of the US-Arroyo regime in the deteriorating situation in Mindanao cannot be overemphasized.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines’s (AFP) pursuit operations against MILF commanders Umbra Kato and Bravo will merely result in further escalation of the armed conflict. The MILF as a revolutionary force will not surrender its military commanders to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP). The government’s insistence would only result to more armed confrontation and cause greater damage to civilian lives and property whether Christian, Moro or lumad.

The mechanisms embodied in the ceasefire agreement between the MILF and the GRP are the only proper and effective ways to approach the heightened armed confrontation under the present circumstances. The MILF must ensure that those responsible for attacks on civilians will be held accountable and that these attacks will stop.

Nonetheless, government and media reports must not be one-sidedly and uncritically accepted. The MILF claims that the hostilities in North Cotobato were provoked by AFP troops moving into or in the vicinity of MILF areas even before the MOA initialing. They distinguish and differentiate the situation and events in North Cotobato from those in Lanao del Sur and Norte.

Aside from continued military operations, the Arroyo regime persists in undermining the peace process by Arroyo’s latest pronouncement that “engagements with all armed groups shall be about disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation” and that her regime will pursue peace talks with “communities” instead of armed groups. From the horse’s mouth, the real agenda of the GRP is thus revealed as well as the real cause of the failure of the earlier GRP-Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) talks and the current prolonged impasse in the GRP-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) talks.

The Arroyo regime shows no real interest in resolving the underlying issues of the armed conflict with the MILF which includes the historic denial of the Bangsamoro’s economic, social and cultural rights, foremost of which is the right to a homeland and self-rule.

The Arroyo government has also undermined national sovereignty by allowing US involvement in the peace process and in the forging of agreements, as well as US involvement in the military operations against the MILF. The Arroyo regime is further exposing itself as a puppet dancing to the tune of US geo-political and economic interests.

The GRP and MILF must immediately return to the negotiating table and resolve the issue of the Bangsamoro ancestral domain on the basis of prior agreements and consensus points.

The GRP must abandon its policy of escalating its offensive military operations and of allowing US military and political interventionism.

It is the GRP’s continuing attempts, with the connivance of the US, to coopt or ensnare the MILF into a negotiated surrender and use the negotiations to remain in power, that has derailed the peace talks and caused the renewed outbreak of hostilities.#

Arroyo must be held accountable for allowing US intervention in peace process

Press Statement
August 16, 2008

Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
BAYAN secretary general

The Arroyo regime welcomed and fully-supported United States intervention in the internal matter of peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Arroyo and her subalterns must be investigated and held accountable for their actions.

Based on the report of the United States Institute for Peace, the US-initiated and funded Philippine Facilitation Project was supported by both US President George W. Bush and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The report also counts three meetings between officials of the USIP and Mrs. Arroyo, once in 2003 and twice in 2004.

The USIP was created and funded by the US Congress for peace advocacy that helps advance US economic, political and military interests worldwide. The USIP was a policy instrument for the U.S. government that served as a “channel of communication outside official policy mechanisms.”

To quote the report, “During an August 2003 visit to the Philippines, a PFP delegation met with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her senior advisers, military officers, senior Philippine senators, religious leaders, and representatives of civil society (NGOs, Moros, and educators.)”

“When President Macapagal-Arroyo visited the United Nations in September 2003, several senior advisers and USIP staff members met with her and her delegation (including the foreign secretary, executive secretary, and members of the Philippine congress) to review the status of the peace process and the role of the Institute. Ambassador Frank Wisner and USIP representatives also met with President Macapagal-Arroyo in California after her 2004 election to encourage a renewed GRP-wide effort to conclude an equitable settlement with the Moros.”

The PFP received $30 million in funding from the US Congress in 2003 as part of the Iraq War Supplemental Appropriations of 2003. The PFP sought to influence the outcome of the talks ,including the controversial issue of ancestral domain. The USIP used examples of ancestral domain conflict resolutions of the Native American Indians, the Anuit tribes in Canada, the Maori in New Zealand and other experiences that did not require secession from an oppressive regime. The USIP advocated an ancestral domain arrangement that would remain friendly with US interests.

United States involvement in the peace process bodes ill for the cause of the Bangsamoro people. The US has long sought to gain a solid foothold in Mindanao. It has sought to exploit the resources of Mindanao particularly oil and minerals. It has sought to strengthen US military hegemony and presence in the region through military exercises and the forward presence of its troops in Sulu and other provinces.

What does the US want in the peace process? The US does not want the genuine recognition of the rights of the Bangsamoro. The US seeks an end to the armed conflict in Mindanao to secure a stable area for its investments and troops. It seeks to curry favor with the MILF insofar as US investments and basing opportunities are concerned.

The US government has also made it clear that it does not support independence for the Bangsamoro.

An example of the interests being protected by the US is the $100 million off-shore oil exploration in Sulu recently announced by Exxon Mobil, the world’s biggest oil and gas producer.

According to the USIP report, the US government divided its work between the USIP, the USAID and the US embassy and State Department. The US embassy was tasked to “encourage” the Philippine government to pursue peace talks. The USAID was tasked with “economic development” of Mindanao while the USIP was tasked with engaging and influencing key players in the peace process. The report also states that the US embassy coordinated with the US Pacific Command in counter-terror training and in ensuring high visibility of US troops in Mindanao.

The US intervened in an internal affair, as it tried to influence key players in the peace process. The Arroyo government is guilty of allowing such brazen intervention.  Arroyo and US interests likely intersected on the issue of charter change and the prospect of US investments in Mindanao.

Early on, the USIP report already anticipated the issue of charter change because some provisions in the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain might be declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

The Arroyo government pounced on the opening for cha-cha as an opportunity to advance its own self-serving agenda of term extension.

US ambassador Kristie Kenney’s claims that the US does not intervene in the internal affairs of the Philippines is a pure lie. Her claim that she has not read the text of the MOA-AD is also quite unbelievable. From the USIP report, the US government, through various agencies, was involved in the peace process on many levels.

One of the most telling and disturbing statements found in the USIP report deals with forms of intervention available to the US.

The report describes U.S. policy instruments in Mindanao to include “diplomacy, conditionality of U.S. economic and military assistance programs, and more punitive measures on the counterterrorism front.”

The above statement could mean that the US government is also open to direct military intervention. ###

Pinoy rap legend Francis M diagnosed with leukemia

Our prayers go out to Francis Magallona who has been diagnosed with leukemia. He is expected to issue a statement on the noontime show Eat Bulaga tomorrow, August 14. I do hope he recovers from what may be one of the greatest challenges of his life.

Francis M is a rap icon in the Philippines. He is a towering figure in Pinoy hip-hop who was able to reach out even to the non-Hip-hop crowd. The King of Pinoy Rap has also been a vocal critic of social ills, a trait that I have come to admire through his various collaborative works.

In Liham sa Pangulo, his collaboration with the progressive rap duo Stick Figgas, he raps on the third verse:

Mahal na pangulo bakit mahal ang mga bilihin
Di mo na nanaisin na tumira dito sa bayan natin
Ang kinain ng mayaman tinatapon sa basura
Pinupulot ng mahirap mapuno lang ang sikmura
Balahurang nahalal halos kaban ng bayan isinugal
Isinambulat sa Senado at sa dyaryo binulgar
Napahiya’t ayaw umamain na sila’y nagnakaw din
Di lang sa pagkain pati sa pera ay matakaw din
At pagdating sa lupain sila ay mga buakaw din
Lahat ay inaangkin kahit ano ay gagawin
Mga sakim, ganid sa ginto di makuntento sa milyon
Bilyon ang gusto kahit ang bayan ay baon
Sa utang at sa kangkungan pupulutin
Tanong ko lang sa inyo mahal niyo ba ang bayan natin
Mahal na pangulo paano na ang pilipinas
Lantarang pagnanakaw araw araw di lilipas

Lately, his collaboration with Fil-Am rapper and activist Kiwi and Pinoy rapper Gloc 9 was made available on the Internet. The song That Money is a scathing attack on government corruption.

Francis M has brought social relevance into rap music. He has lived up to the words of the late activist-director Lino Brocka, that the artist is also a citizen.

We wish the Man from Manila a speedy recovery.

MOA, more than meets the eye

The past few days saw a barrage of opinions regarding the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain which was supposed to be signed by the GRP and the MILF, had it not been for the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court.

I have not read and studied the MOA text in full so I really can’t comment on whether or not it is “treasonous” as some folks portray it.

Unfortunately, there are some folks who keep issuing comments on air even without studying the facts regarding the negotiations between the GRP and the MILF.

Take for example two radio commentators from two respected news programs. Both radio commentators keep saying that the MILF has been listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and that it is a US policy that they don’t negotiate with terrorists. They then ask, why is the government negotiating with the MILF if it is a terrorist group?

Wow, it’s as if the “negotiating with terrorists” is the mother of all sins. Such comments, coming during primetime raido slots, betrays an utter ignorance of the historical circumstances of the peace process. Commentators and opinion makers need to get their facts straight.

First off, the MILF has not been designated by the US State Department as a terrorist group. And even if it was designated as such, it doesn’t necessarily hold true that the group is a terrorist organization. The US has arrogated upon itself the power designate as terrorist, entities and individuals who are fighting and resisting US policies. Remember, even Nelson Mandela was at one time designated as a terrorist and his name was just recently removed from the list. He’s 80 by the way.

If the commentators take time to do some research, they could be helpful in clarifying the issues instead of whipping up anti-Muslim hysteria and prejudice.

Interestingly enough, the non-listing of the MILF as a terror group gives us an idea of the attitude of the US government towards the peace process in Mindanao.

The US happens to be very interested in the developments in the peace process. So interested that it has engaged the services of a quasi-governmental organization known as the US Institute for Peace, which was created and funded by the US Congress. The USIP has previously embarked on the Philippine Facilitation Program which has “supported” the peace initiatives through different means, including financial of course, as well as trainings and workshops and public information campaigns. Millions of dollars were earmarked for the project which also delved into such issues as ancestral domain, one of the contentious issues we’ve been hearing of lately.

From what we know, the US looks at Southern Philippines and the surrounding waters of the South China sea as strategic areas for its economic and geo-political interests. Recently, the US transnational oil firm Exxon Mobil, the world’s biggest oil and gas producer, announced that it was beginning oil exploration in Sulu which is a part of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Interestingly, the area of Sulu has been used as training ground and “informal base” of US Special Forces allegedly engaged in “humanitarian and civic operations”. The US Joint Operations Special Task Force based in Mindanao has been a virtual forward military presence for the US.

The USIP unabashedly portrays itself as a vehicle in promoting and advancing US interests worldwide. Their “peace advocacy” is actually along the lines of securing US economic and geo-political interests in such places as Mindanao.

What they are advocating is not really peace based on justice. For example, it views the armed conflict in Mindanao as simply arising from political issues, not economic or religious. An acceptable political solution to the armed conflict would be a US-supported mechanism wherein the ancestral domain of the Bangsamoro would be sort of recognized. The USIP apparently also did a study of different cases of struggles for self-determination and ancestral domain. My guess is that any “ancestral domain” that is still under the framework and processes of the neo-colonial Philippine state can be acceptable to the US, insofar as US economic interests would be advanced and US military forces can maintain their presence in the region. I think the correct term to describe what the US intends to do in Mindanao is “plunder”.  Whether its a federal state or a Bangsamore Juridical Entity, the US has its sights set on exploiting Mindanao’s resources.

The USIP says that the US government does not want “Islamic extremists” to get strong foothold in Mindanao and so paving the way for the peace process would be in the best interest of the “war on terror.” Of course, whenever the US invokes the war on terror, you can be assured that it is double-talk for something else. Like when the US invaded Iraq in the name of the war on terror, it was actually invading Iraq for its oil reserves.

Let me just point out that the Moro struggle for self-determination is legitimate and is grounded on historical circumstances. Given the circumstances of the Moro people and the prospects they currently face, the struggle for self-determination must necessisarily take on an anti-imperialist character.

What many find disturbing though is the involvement of the US government in the peace initiatives.

What is also disturbing are the maneuvers of the Arroyo government in relation to the MOA.

Was the Arroyo government negotiating in bad faith, putting together a peace deal that it knew was impossible to implement under the current political set up? Or was that part of the strategy too, to force the nation into accepting charter change as a means to peace?

Did the Arroyo government anticipate the Supreme Court TRO?

Did the Arroyo government take a calculated risk of escalating the armed conflict so that it could make a pitch for charter change and shift to a federal form of government?

Will the Arroyo government just stop at federalism? Will it not go further and say life term limits for the president?

The issues continue to unravel even as 130,000 people are now internal refugees in North Cotabato.

Just today, Malacanang announced that it’s all systems go for charter change.

Ka Randy Echanis

I attended the hearing of the case of Randy Echanis today at the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 32.  Ka Randy, a long-time peasant organizer, is accused of being part of murders committed in the 80’s, which resulted in alleged mass graves in Leyte. Ka Randy’s co-accused include Satur Ocampo and Jose Ma. Sison. Interestingly, when the so-called mass graves happened, Ka Randy was in maximum security detention by the forces of the Marcos dictatorship, and was not in any position to carry out murders on a mass scale. The charges are therefore a part of the continuing political persecution of known activists and Arroyo foes.

The case of Ka Randy was again in the media after his transfer from the Philippine National Police detention facility in Camp Crame to the Manila City Jail. The ex-parte motion done by the PNP was granted by presiding judge Thelma Medina. Counsels for Ka Randy complained that they were not informed of the transfer. They also protested the move which would put Ka Randy together with “common criminals” despite his status as a political prisoner or “prisoner of conscience”. The issue of the proper detention place for Ka Randy will still be deliberated on by branch 32.

Ka Randy was late for his hearing, probably because he had to wait in line with around 150 other detainees at the Manila City Jail.

We saw him being held at the corridor along with the other detainees. He was handcuffed with another prisoner, and he wore the yellow shirt with DETAINEE written on it.

He was being treated like a common criminal.

But there was something in Ka Randy that made him stand out among the other prisoners. He stood there, his clenched fist raised, his bearings intact, his determination unflinching. He was happy to see family, friends and comrades from various organizations waiting for him and supporting his cause. He had been in detention since January in Leyte.

The Arroyo regime has been notorious for extrajudicial killings, abductions and now the filing of trumped up charges. Ka Randy’s case, and many others like it, should be vigorously protested. Everyone knows who should really be put behind bars.

Ka Randy while in the holding facility for detainees at Manila City Hall after his hearing. He's the one in a yellow shirt.