WE welcomed the comprehensive 1996 peace agreement between the Ramos administration and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), headed by Nur Misuari that eventually led to his taking the role of governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. But we know that this agreement did not lead to peace in Mindanao, as the MNLF’s breakaway group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), continued to fight the government.
When the Aquino administration signed a peace agreement with the MILF in 2012, we also welcomed it as another step forward in the search for elusive peace in the troubled region. That agreement, however, has not led to the establishment of the Bangsamoro region that would have paved the way for lasting peace and development in southern Philippines.
So when Misuari came out of hiding last week, after a court suspended the warrant for his arrest for the deadly Zamboanga siege in 2013 and brought to Malacañang by Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza, hopes are again high that the rebel leader’s support for President Duterte’s peace initiative would result, finally, in lasting peace in Mindanao.
Do we now have a unique opportunity to forge peace in the war-torn region? If the MILF, the MNLF and the government finally sit down on the negotiating table and work together to address the historical injustices committed against the Moro people, then this would be an unprecedented and historic development.
The Aquino administration miscalculated that, in negotiating only with the MILF, it could end the war with a stroke of the pen.
We know, of course, that while the two sides were able to a hammer out an indefinite cease-fire and a comprehensive peace agreement in 2012 and agreed on the establishment of a Bangsamoro region through passage of a piece of legislation known as the Bangsamoro basic law (BBL), peace in Mindanao is still elusive.
The reality on the ground, however, is extremely complicated. Government troops have to deal with the Abu Sayyaf bandits and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway group of the MILF. If it’s true that these rebel groups have already linked up with the Islamic State, then even the participation of Misuari in the peace process may be for naught.
In any event, we hope that the creation of a more inclusive Bangsamoro Transition Commission with Misuari’s participation will be a significant step forward in achieving a comprehensive and inclusive resolution of the decades-long armed conflict in Mindanao.
There are those who take a dim view of Duterte’s move to reach out to Misuari and ask him to help in the peace process. They are demanding that Misuari should be held accountable for the bloody Zamboanga siege not too long ago. But Duterte is correct in pointing out: “What is wrong to talk with Misuari and embracing him? Moro ako, and I want to talk to him. I told him, Nur, we have been fighting for 40 years, do you want another 40 years?”
Are they coming or going?
IS it true that somehow, Duterte’s expletive-laden tirades against US President Barack Obama, the European Union and the United Nations for expessing concern over alleged human-rights violations in the administration’s take-no-prisoners war on illegal drugs has taken a heavy toll on investor confidence in the Philippine economy?
That’s not a far-fetched possibility at all, for why would Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III schedule a meeting with American businessmen in the country to discuss their concerns amid increasingly frayed ties between the Philippines and the US and Duterte’s pivot to China?
The leader of Duterte’s economic team believes Americans would remain in the country, as long as they find the economic environment favorable and mutually beneficial: “We’re open to meeting with them and discussing with them all their concerns,” he said.
Among those very worried over Duterte’s strident attacks on the US are those engaged in the business- process outsourcing industry, who had earlier sought a meeting with the President to discuss their concerns over his anti-US rhetoric.
But, perhaps, foreign businessmen need not unduly worry over Duterte’s move to forge stronger ties with China and Russia. In fact, Dominguez sees bright prospects for the Philippine economy. For the finance secretary, we have many things going for us—we have a low inflation rate, a stable currency, a young population and good macroeconomic policies.
Apart from these, the administration wants to ramp up spending on infrastructure, such as new roads and railways, to the tune of P8 trillion over the next five years. Other reforms, such as broadening public access to banks and capital markets, supporting small business industries with accessible credit, raising capital for industry, and improving the ease of doing business in the country, are all intended to entice investors—both foreign and local—to help grow the economy.
E-mail: ernhil@yahoo.com.