A Day In The Life Of RJ

With all that’s been written about the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity MOA on Ancestral Domain (BJE MOA on AD), it is as if the issue gets more and more tiring to discuss and write about everyday. It’s September 2. Two days more and the SC TRO celebrates(?) its one month anniversary. To this day, although the BJE MOA on AD seems to be good as dead — or “comatose” as others have called it — the issue just wouldn’t die a natural death. And why not? Freedom(?) or self-determination and the struggle for it is something far more important than the struggle for survival. If you don’t believe it, ask yourself why we have heroes now. Ask yourself why Jose Rizal, the Ilustrado that he is or Andres Bonifacio, the poor guy that he is — the two of them doing their own style of revolt had no second thoughts about putting their lives at risk for something they believed was above them or of their preoccupations — the vision of a free Philippines. They know first-hand how a lot more difficult it is to survive and yet be enslaved or put more objectively, be under the rule of a colonizer. It is every man’s instinct to fight for freedom — for self-rule. (more…)

Liked this post? Share it!

Loved this post? Buy me coffee and keep this blog running for another day...

I find it inexplicable why the BJE MOA on AD is being considered at odds with our constitution, hence this TRO and oral arguments, when a member of the MILF peace panel, MOHD. MUSIB M. BUAT in his article “A new formula in resolving the Mindanao conflict—Mohd. Musib M. Buat” at the abs-cbnNEWS.com website, said:

“But subsequently in February 2008, information was received by the MILF Peace Panel through the Malaysian facilitator that the GRP had decided to have the draft MOA-AD first reviewed by a panel of legal experts to ascertain whether or not the draft agreement would meet a constitutional test if challenged before the High Court. It took the government more that 100 days to conduct the “due diligence review” of the draft MOA-AD.”  (more…)

Liked this post? Share it!

Loved this post? Buy me coffee and keep this blog running for another day...

Today’s article at abs-cbnNEWS.com “From Brink of Peace to Brink of War” by Atty. Soliman M. Santos, Jr. brings to mind my long-held stand on the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (BJE MOA on AD). (more…)

Liked this post? Share it!

Loved this post? Buy me coffee and keep this blog running for another day...

I need not elaborate. I’m sure any of you reading this have heard the news — endless and hopeless as it may seem. Fighting continues in Mindanao. Ambush here. Strafing there. Evacuations here and there. Oral arguments re: unconstitutionality of BJE MOA (which, by the way, has been extended Firday once more, August 29) happened today. Sol. Gen. Devanadera submitted a petition for the SC citing GRP’s decision not to sign the MOA, thereby rendering the petition filed against it “moot and academic”. Torion, the petitioner’s counsel, on the other hand insists on a court decision saying regardless of the BJE MOA being signed or not, SC’s ruling is important so as to create a “guideline” for the GRP on it’s expected “renegotiation” or “furthering of negotiations” and subsequently assure compliance to the constitution.

There are certain points in the oral arguments I’d like to comment on, as follows:

(more…)

Liked this post? Share it!

Loved this post? Buy me coffee and keep this blog running for another day...

The events of late speak for itself. We have gone to war. Continuous attacks from the MILF, aggravated by an ambush at Lanao del Sur, followed by killing civilians and burning houses are but indications of clear and present danger. Chief of Staff, General Alexander Yano calls it a “virtual declaration of war” and indeed it is. Actually, it’s not even “virtual” to me. It is a definite and crystal clear declaration of war — a blatant disregard for the peace process and disrespect to the laws of the land. For what else can you call something as atrocious as these? As of this writing, the rebels have left the scene yet took adult male hostages — probably to use as human shield as they walk through the area.

While it is so tempting to blame people now, the events have been too tragic that my brain can hardly come up with a good argument for finger-pointing. Reports say that there were dead people on the roadside. The bus driver in yesterday’s ambush swore to have seen and heard these rebels shout “patayin ninyo lahat yan” (”kill them all“). Just thinking about it is horrifying enough. I can’t imagine the terror in the faces of the people inside the bus. And I can’t imagine that such evil people exist. And sometimes, I ask myself how grave our inequities to these people may have been for us to go through the burden of talking peace with people who prefer expressing themselves through their guns? What have we done to deserve this problem (if we even deserved it at all)? (more…)

Liked this post? Share it!

Loved this post? Buy me coffee and keep this blog running for another day...

Now that the ball has been passed to (or should I say was “taken” by) the Supreme Court ever since issuing the TRO last Monday, August 4 — it has been clear that the BJE MOA on AD is in for a long deliberation — possibly ultimately leading to its abolition — if its existence is to be recognized in the first place. It has been predicted that this might take longer than usual — even forever. And knowing that we are in the Philippines, this doesn’t seem like an exaggerated prediction.

True to our expectations, the Supreme Court seems to be having its sweet time deliberating on it. Not that it’s bad or wrong anyway — but longer just the same. And I’ve written before that the clock is ticking — time is of the essence here. The longer we wait, the longer it takes for Mindanao to move forward. The longer it takes for real “help” to arrive. We can’t just send doctors on a medical mission to a hostile territory. We can’t pave roads while there is serious threat to practically anybody crossing the street. Investors will not dare put up businesses where fighting can ensue anytime. (more…)

Liked this post? Share it!

Loved this post? Buy me coffee and keep this blog running for another day...

Step, step, backward. Step, step, forward. And turn. And then you do it over and over until the music ends. That’s essentially how you do the ChaCha – yes, I’m referring to the “dance”. Incidentally, if the peace process in Mindanao would be compared to a dance, I’d have no second thoughts about comparing it to the ChaCha as well. Forward and backward steps that don’t seem to accomplish anything or lead to a highly anticipated “grand act”. When you do the ChaCha, you do a simple repetitive routine — that’s basically it.

We can compare ongoing debates on the peace process to “sitting on a rocking chair. It gives us something to do, but it gets us nowhere.”

Like the all too familiar discussion about peace that just gets murkier and murkier the more that people meddle with the issue. People like myself I guess. Although in my case, I don’t have influence. So I can say that I am only accountable to myself. Sadly, it’s not just me dipping into this and “speaking my mind” or “thinking out loud”. Not that it’s wrong. But if you come to think of it, influence — in a country like ours, is such a big deal. And the more “influential” you are, the more accountable you are to more people. So go easy on the suggestions or the things you make them (your followers) do. (more…)

Liked this post? Share it!

Loved this post? Buy me coffee and keep this blog running for another day...

Whoa. What a week! So much has happened since Monday, August 11. And even more if we’d go back a week before that — before that fateful day that the “barely” existent Bangsamoro Juridical Entity MOA on Ancestral Domain (BJE MOA on AD) was TRO‘d by the Supreme Court. Discussions here and there, protests in streets, the Beijing Olympics, fighting in Mindanao, the ARMM elections and now Charter Change (ChaCha) has been our usual dose of news lately. We see, read and talk about it all too often that we can somehow say that we’ve probably heard enough. But you and I both know we haven’t. I hear the music playing. Will anyone dance to it?

Well, what do you expect? The BJE is non-executory by itself. We know that. And we are also fully aware of the need for an amendment in the Constitution if we are to satisfy the promises made in the MOA. And as we continue to question the constitutionality, feasibility, effectivity and practicality of the MOA, we are now faced with a dilemma yet again — to dance the ChaCha in the name of peace or to reject the idea altogether for fear of a PGMA “second life”. Unlike before, PGMA now tweets ChaCha in all things related to the BJE MOA and the peace process in Mindanao. She has expressed her intentions of pushing for ChaCha while brushing-off insinuations that this is all a ploy to “open” the Constitution and toy with it as she pleases.

Many will hate me for this but I think there is some truth to the Palace’s statement that those who oppose Federalism are those who have 2010 ambitions. But can you really blame these guys? These guys are panicky as ever especially since, I bet  as early as now, they are already writing their “return gratitude” list for the sponsors lining up to support their bets and in return get immunity and relative power. This is the nature of Philippine politics. I have yet to find a public official who puts his constituents above his political ambition — and I also doubt ever finding one in the near future. That’s how it is then, that’s how it will be in the future. I am a pretty optimistic person, but when it comes to Philippine politics, my optimism just isn’t enough. So, I’m sorry if I can’t join you in that bandwagon of a “united” Philippines — at least in these sense that many promote. I am more of a practical peace advocate. Unity to me transcends the physical, territorial boundaries.  A people united in aspirations and convictions is more appealing to me. A people although “territorially” apart yet peaceful and living together in an ultimately “central government” — as the BJE MOA puts it, is not so bad an idea. Would you rather see incessant fighting than “negotiate”? (more…)

Liked this post? Share it!

Loved this post? Buy me coffee and keep this blog running for another day...

The situation in Mindanao seems to worsen by the day if not by the hour. It is clear to us that peace talks have gone completely out of hand, thanks to the bitter MILF renegade group. Just when we are ready to talk peace some self-righteous group whether from the government or from the MILF manages to screw things up and deliberately steal the spotlight. And well, I must say they have done so perfectly. Now, they have our complete attention and have diverted it to “firefighting” the escalating war in Mindanao. What lucky bastards! Now, it’s not just the “technicality” of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity on Ancestral Domain (BJE MOA on AD) that we have to worry about — we now have to manage a fight on the side. Can things get any worse than this? (more…)

Liked this post? Share it!

Loved this post? Buy me coffee and keep this blog running for another day...