Clueless over Bangsamoro

Written on Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 12:47 pm | by cocoy

I was snacking and I was reading GRP-MILF draft pact on Bangsamoro homeland which @mlq3 over at Plurk shared. This struck me the most:

Sharing of Minerals on Territorial Waters:
Consistent with paragraphs 5 and 6 of the provisions on Resources, all potential sources of energy, petroleum in situ, hydrocarbon, natural gas and other minerals, including deposits or fields found within the territorial waters, shall be shared between the Central Government and the BJE in favor of the latter through production sharing agreement or economic cooperative agreement.

Is all this hoopla, about oil!?! If it is, can we just put in some revenue from VAT and give it to MIT researcher Daniel Nocera and others like him some money so we can develop alternative energy? that each household in this country can produce their own power? that we don’t have to fight over oil or Meralco or complain about the high cost of electricity for that matter? 

Can someone please explain to me in simple terms what exactly is wrong with Mindanao? Hasn’t there been an ARMM? Like has it been such a success story that the Republic is entering into an agreement with MILF that gives them autonomy?  Can’t the people of Mindanao, in a plebiscite decide once and for all if they are in favor of autonomy? And if they’re not, will MILF and others like them, lay down their weapons and build their homeland, which by-the-way would be the Republic of the Philippines, which coincidentally by the Constitution, doesn’t care whether you are Catholic or Atheist or Muslim?

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About The Author: cocoy Mac. Linux. Tech. Comics. Free Market. Politics. New Media. Coffee. Geek. He hangs out on twitter as @cocoy, on Plurk, FriendFeed and blogs at Big Mango.

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14 Responses to “Clueless over Bangsamoro”

  1. DJB Rizalist on August 4th, 2008 4:19 pm

    There have already been two plebiscites during which the major urban areas (cities) have resoundingly rejected becoming a part of ARMM. There is no reason to believe that the BJE would fare any better, although Dureza and Co. are trying to get clever and sneaky with that proposal of barangay level plebiscites. Good luck to him getting that through Congress…not because they don’t want peace but because it’s just plain wrong and impossible to do without creating absurd situations. But after already signing a “Final Peace Treaty” with the MNLF, it’s pure insanity to be entertaining a second insurgent group and cutting a deal with the MILF 12 years later.

    It all boils down to this: the Moro insurgents don’t really believe in self-determination. They just want their ransom payment for holding the whole country hostage all these years.

    I would argue for the status quo and reject a restoration of the “suzerain authority of the Bangsamoro Sultanates” as the MOA puts it.

    The Bangsamoro people are better of with this democracy, such as it is, than be re-enslaved by the Maguindanao sultanates.

    I think people should challenge the politically correct idea that the Bangsamoro would be better off under their earliest oppressors, even compared to the later ones.

  2. mlq3 on August 4th, 2008 5:21 pm

    this is your most level-headed reply so far, djb and provides real food for thought. it’s three plebiscites, by the way, which were defeated.

  3. cocoy on August 4th, 2008 8:07 pm

    been reading @riajose’s point of view
    http://politics.alleba.com/2008/08/04/grp-milf-to-sign-memorandum-of-agreement/ most awesome read if you haven’t seen it yet. likewise Ding’s latest post on the matter.

    djb thanks for your insight! most enlightening. thanks also to you mlq3 for your plurks all day on this issue, which has helped overcome my ignorance.

    Everyone all day seem to conclude that this is farce— most especially for the people of Mindanao. “The Bangsamoro would be better off with this democracy, such as it is, than be re-enslaved by the Maguindanao sultanates” That this farce between the Republic and MILF doesn’t really help the people of Mindanao, let alone benefit our people.

    Not that it’ll ever come to it or pass for that matter, but isn’t treason an impeachable offense?

  4. cvj on August 5th, 2008 1:13 am

    Cocoy, among others.

  5. DJB Rizalist on August 5th, 2008 5:40 am

    Most other people are so level headed about it that all they see is a dumb agreement. Me, I see what the govt “peace negotiators” did to get to this point–like how Dureza and Rodolfo Garcia stopped those warrants of arrest against MILF-cum-ASG suspects in Basilan last year for ambushing and beheading those Marines looking for Fr. Bossi, and the whole string of activities to cover up both the Military’s malfeasance and their own cover up of what their “partners in the peace process” had done. What ever happened to the independent investigation? To Justice for our soldiers? Nothing! because “peace” is so politically correct and important to agendas that belong not only to GMA but even more to “progressives.”

    All to save this agreement! This agreement with its hideous lies and delusions, its guilt tripping, nutty phantasms about “historical expiation”, its good intentions paving the way to secession, war and strife.

    Wake up you guyz! The solution to Mindanao is the democratic status quo. Without the insurgencies things would develop as they would in any peaceful democracy: slowly but surely in the right direction. Same with the CPP NPA.

    The real enemy is not even “them”. It is “us” — infected with wrong ideas from Constantino, Joma and US Institutes of Peace.

    The whole “indigenous peoples” things is just a giant Guilt Trip. “Ancestral Domain” is the “sacrifice” being urged on us to mollify the gods of history and political correctness. The Christian tribes are being made to bear the sins of colonialists by ideologues and pundits in the mental thralls of something that is not Democracy or Freedom or Justice.

    It’s a war of the memes, and dhimmitude is winning. All Filipinos have been oppressed. All Filipinos deserve a “homeland”. It’s called “the Philippines”. Get it? How’s that for level-headed?

  6. cocoy on August 5th, 2008 6:34 am

    Wake up you guyz! The solution to Mindanao is the democratic status quo. Without the insurgencies things would develop as they would in any peaceful democracy: slowly but surely in the right direction. Same with the CPP NPA.

    The real enemy is not even “them”. It is “us” — infected with wrong ideas from Constantino, Joma and US Institutes of Peace.

    yep. i think so too. these groups ought to be tagged as “bandits”. where indeed is the justice for all those people beheaded? in this i totally agree that all Filipinos have been insulted and oppressed.

  7. The Philippines: An enduring grotesqueness | Filipino Voices on August 5th, 2008 9:54 am

    […] insight Dean provided to Cocoy’s query, Clueless over Bangsamoro, is quite straightforward. The whole Mindanao thing is nothing more than a bizarre effort to create […]

  8. julie on August 5th, 2008 1:29 pm

    I do not have the “Gift of the gab” like some other writers here, i am just an ordinary person who in layman’s terms writes what i think, so bear with me pls,
    should the Muslims get what they want(?)…then would that also mean that Mindanao would be “Totally Self Sufficient” and not ask the “Philippines” for anything? Like “Money” or other services that the “Philippine” people enjoy. Will Mindanao also be self ruling and not ask the “Philippines” for help or military aid, electricity or any other service.

    Somehow i dont think so. I thought the Philippines on the whole was “Everyone” regardless of color creed or religion?
    Yet i am led to think that by all this controversy that it is “Everyone”, and the Muslims are separate from us ??
    Sorry for the rambling on………

  9. cvj on August 5th, 2008 1:35 pm

    Julie, I think that once independent, the BJME will ask for aid from their fellow Muslim countries (e.g. Malaysia) including the Middle East (e.g. Saudi Arabia) where they can even get preferential treatment on overseas labor deployment. The United States will also be willing to help them because of the opportunity to get resources as well as perhaps rights to set up U.S. Bases in their territory. The US will also want to maintain a presence to prevent Islamic radicals from taking root.

  10. julie on August 5th, 2008 2:33 pm

    Thanks for the reply cvj, bit of humor..will we need passport or a visa to go to Mindanao then ???

  11. cvj on August 5th, 2008 5:00 pm

    You’re welcome Julie. I do wonder how citizenship issues will be resolved, especially if someone from BMJE is married and has kids with someone in what’s left of the Republic. Also, will the Muslim migrants to Greenhills be able to choose their citizenship?

  12. cocoy on August 5th, 2008 6:32 pm

    julie… lol.

    cvj… i hope it never ever comes to that. i don’t think it will, but with gloria running the helm the unthinkable scenarios pop up all too often.

  13. hector olympus on August 5th, 2008 6:49 pm

    we have the same discussion in one bobongpinoy mailing list about this issue.

    a member from mindanao is so saddened with this issue and is actually not in favor about this move. she says that there was not even any information given to the public.

  14. Epiphany « smoke on August 7th, 2008 2:54 am

    […] Nations independence out of fear of losing resources. In this BJE flap, isn’t one of the main sticking points that the BJE will be given control over natural […]

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