Muslim Autonomy and Ancestral Domain – What about

Abdulbar Says: August 5th, 2008 at 1:11 pm

People in Luzon and Visayas have discriminated the people of Mindanao since then, why the heck complain about the MOA between the MILF and The GRP.

Hypocrisy is in the air, People in Luzon and Visayas have a lot to say when it comes to these issues, but does it affect them, IT DOES NOT, when Mindanao will have its own, Luzon and visayas will have few. that is why people from these areas have lost sleep, wondering what would happend to their wonderlands if Mindanao would no longer be their milking cow.

Its just ironic when people complain a lot in issues that do not directly affect them. We have to do more than just MOAs , the biased againts Muslims have been going on through ages.

There is nothing wrong with the MOA, but people againts it are just sour graping.

Muslim struggle based on religion and culture, viewed from national standpoint, is ridiculous and insane. Fact is, the problems of Muslim Filipinos are no different to that of the problems of Christian Filipinos. So what is this Mindanao religious struggle all about? Is not it all about personal differences built up since time that the Muslim elites are hyping, amplifying and riding on, because of their insecurity over their personal wealth and territory, putting the clout of religion, ethnicity and culture  to rally people behind them?

To drive away not only the Christian elites, and for a Muslim Philippines to be ‘run like hell by [Muslims] than run like heaven by [aliens?], or narrow nationalism [ethnicity and tribalism] to the point of racism – they are my impressions of the Muslim struggle.

[I'd rather see a Philippines run like hell by Filipinos than a Philippines run like heaven by the Americans - For Independence, Emmanuel Luis Quezon, President, Commonwealth Republic of Philippines .]

The war for territory there between Christians and Muslims is ridiculous. The Tagalogs, the Ilonggos and the Sugbuhanos had been, and had sat foot on Mindanao even before other tribes who became Muslims settled that place later. Tribes that we now call Christians came from Borneo if people have forgotten that. And they were never interested in the Sulus and the Mindanaos because putting a good distance between them and Makatunao happened to be their idea of peaceful life.

It was in the time of President Ramon Magsaysay during the 1950s when the frontiers of Mindanao and Palawan were opened up for systematic economic exploitation from Luzon and the Visayas. Government pushed this under the National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) program intended for interested landless Filipinos and peasants, to defeat PKP-HMB rebellion especially in Luzon and Panay.

Ilonggos and Muslims are undeniably, already antagonistic to one another. This has been since Spanish colonization of the archipelago, or perhaps even before that in old Borneo.

For every action there is a reaction. Muslims planted to people like Toothpick so they reaped from them. And I guess what Ilonggos reaped in Mindanao, were also sown by them in the hearts of our Muslim brothers.

People can escalate antagonisms or they can de-escalate them. It depends on everyone. [Are not the Manero brothers jailed for the killing of Fr. Favali, Ilonggos too?]

Can tribalism be played down? Definitely yes, and no doubt about it. Ilonggo, Cebuano, Capiznon, Antiqueño, Aklanon – they used to have antagonisms but these have diminished over the decades. I think common religion, advanced and better communications, are some factors that contributed towards cultural coherence in them.

This is not in the case between the Visayan group and the Muslim Filipinos. But there have been progress though. In fact, as shown in Zamboanga, we are seeing there Christians and Muslims together expressing disgust about this MOA-AD. Also, Illongos and Muslims today no longer hack at first sight like they did, say a hundred years ago. Maybe they still do in a few places like in Cotabato but they are exceptions. Modern developments like democracy and freedom of religion and belief in a universal God has eroded antagonism. This reminds me also of Fr. Favali who got killed there for what seemed to be standing in the way of the feuding warriors, for one, trying to close the gap between Christians and Muslims in Mindanao

Meanwhile nandiyan na iyan ang paniniwala na ang problema ay Relihiyon at Kultura. I guess things stay that way until people have come to their senses. But definitely no more special treatment to our Muslim brothers than what our government can provide to the Cebuano, Ilonggo, Tagalog, Bicolano, Waray, Panggalatok, Ilocano and all other tribes.

Plebiscite urged on gov’t – MILF deal

08/05/08 Posted under Feedback, Inquirer.net

I think this kind of agreement should be done through a plebiscite and various consultations with the Filipinos, both Muslims and Christians. The government should publish the whole agreement (nothing hidden) so the people can form their educated opinion on this very important matter. Congress, both houses, should approve this agreement too. The executive branch cannot do this by itself unless our country is no longer democratic.
Ruben Lacap, Daly City, California (via e-mail)

I agree this matter does not concern only the executive branch of government and the Muslim tribes of the Philippines. And I think the issue is not about the MOA per se but the manner it has been carried by Malacañang. While we have a big controversy about this MOA, people do not even know what’s in this MOA, which is exactly reason why the TRO now. Yeah, whoa! What’s in there because it concerns every Filipino. They, or their nearest representation – Congress at least, should know all about it. Or maybe we have a question there of who really owns the Republic of the Philippines (?)

Philippine public land belongs to all Filipinos. That’s right. Muslims have rights to say for Luzon while Christians have rights for Mindanao, or everywhere in the country, for all Filipinos irregardless of religion and race . ‘Ancestral domain’ as I understand is Rights of every Filipino tribe, not as alienated territory but as in the manner of RESERVATION granted to whatever Filipino tribe. I believe there are already provisions there by law. Definitely, Malacañang palace cannot depart from those provisions, nor do Muslims have rights to demand special treatment above all other Filipinos.

And if government cannot solve the problems of each Filipino tribe, neither can it solve the problems of the Filipino Muslims. So either we, all as Filipinos, solve our common problems or else every tribe will practically ‘secede’. And this is already happening – Muslim rebellion and NPA rebellion.

And so much use of the words Muslims, Christians, and tribes in one short post that in fact, I think, everything can be rewritten without using a single word of them if we go specifics on problems affecting Filipinos.

We have already them “Autonomous Regions” and “Ancestral Domains” like that in Cordillera that we need only to work or improve on, if any. So, what more “Special” agreement is needed over Muslim “ancestral domain”? Because what applies to one applies to all… unless of course people are talking there about something else using those as guises.