MANILA, Philippines – Officials of North Cotabato Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to stop the signing of an agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that would define the territorial boundaries of a new autonomous area for Muslims in Mindanao.
The signing is set Aug. 5 and was described by both sides in the peace talks as a breakthrough.
North Cotabato officials, led by Gov. Jesus Sacdalan and Vice Gov. Emmanuel Pińol, filed a petition at the high court last week asking it to compel government negotiators, particularly presidential peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon, to disclose details of the agreement before it was signed.
The officials also said the signing should be cancelled until the document to be signed had been made public for consultations.
The officials also wanted the signing cancelled until the document to be signed has been made public for consultations.
On Tuesday, the same officials submitted an urgent manifestation to reiterate their plea for a temporary restraining order against the signing.
The MILF said some areas in North Cotabato would fall under the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity [BJE], a wider autonomous area that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
In their petition, the North Cotabato officials said there has been “general public ignorance” about the contents of the agreement. They protested their inclusion in the BJE, calling it “ill-advised.”
The officials said it is important for the province to know the contents of the agreement because in the past, it has rejected efforts to become part of the ARMM. The province has also shown that it could thrive on its own because of its robust economy.
They said negotiators from the government should not compromise North Cotabato in their excitement to have a peace agreement signed with the MILF.
“Any member of the Peace Panel, especially those who are not residents of North Cotabato or Mindanao, could not just compromise the welfare and interest of the people who would stand directly benefited or prejudiced by the result of the agreement,” they told the court.
The officials said subjecting North Cotabato to a plebiscite six months after the agreement is signed, and without apprising the province of its contents, violates the local government code and the Constitution.
They also said under the agreement, the expanded ARMM would be governed by the BJE, which would be granted vast powers and authority similar to that of an independent state. The people concerned were not even informed of such a move, they said.
“With this, there is indeed a good and valid reason for the people of North Cotabato to be shocked and to be afraid of what is going to happen in the future should they be covered by the expanded ARMM,” they added.
