ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The proposal of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the creation of a Bangsamoro “sub-state” is viewed by non-Moros as detrimental to their interests.
This was the general sentiment of non-Moros that emerged from a series of consultations held by the rebel group on its proposed draft peace agreement, a rebel leader has said.
Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, said some people also challenged the MILF draft by posing even “shallow questions.”
“It is worth condemning but we didn’t yield to these efforts,” he said.
Iqbal said while some sectors wanted to demolish the MILF draft by accusing the rebel group of twisting historical facts, they were happy that consultations had a generally encouraging outcome.
But businessman Pedro Rufo Soliven, president of the Zamboanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc., said the draft peace agreement was not different from the previous Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), which was aimed at giving the MILF a larger area of control, that was eventually struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.
It is “something to be scared about because they have raised a proposal that contains so many disturbing provisions like the establishment of a sub-state and they lifted most of the provisions from the MOA AD to this draft proposal,” Soliven said.
Claretian Missionary Father Angel Calvo, president of Peace Advocates Zamboanga, said the peace process should be given a chance by those opposing it.
“The peace process in Mindanao has taken so long, more than four decades, and this one with the MILF is more than 10 years now,” he said.
Calvo also lauded the MILF for its efforts to reach non-Moros.
Soliven was not moved.
He said what the MILF has been doing was not consultation but “simply relaying the information.”
The good thing, he said, was that the MILF confirmed what non-Moros have feared.
“It’s a good thing because the information came from their mouth,” Soliven said.
Iqbal said the consultations were important because the people would have an opportunity to express their views.
“Dividing lines are becoming clearer, but still we urge everyone to take a stand, speak up, otherwise we will not settle anything,” he said.
During a similar consultation in Pagadian City on Wednesday, the MILF also tried to appease the Subanens’ fear that the draft agreement would affect their own ancestral domain.
“Ancestral domain as defined in the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) refers to proprietary rights over a particular area where the tribes have traditional historical presence,” said Professor Abhoud Syed Lingga, a member of the MILF peace panel.
Earlier, Subanen leader Barahama Amil asked the MILF to forego some areas of Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte in its definition of a Moro homeland as these were historically owned by the Subanens.
Lingga told the Subanen leader to continue with their existing efforts to have their ancestral domain titled by the Philippine state.
“If you would be able to obtain titles over your lands, the Bangsamoro sub-state would respect that individual or group rights,” Lingga said.
He stressed that the MILF was not seeking a separate state.
“In addition, you don’t have to worry because we are not separating from the Philippine republic,” he said.
The only difference, Lingga said, is that “the Bangsamoro sub-state will have a different relationship with the central government in terms of political administration.”