DAVAO CITY—Half a century after the massacre in Corrigidor Island of Moro recruits that sparked a genocidal war in Mindanao in the 1970’s, the Bangsamoro (literally Moro Nation) is in a fascinating juncture of its journey, civil society organizations (CSOs) commemorating the incident would say.
“Fifty-six years following the Jabidah massacre, today [March 18] marks a notably optimistic juncture for the Moro people, brimming with hope and a positive outlook towards the future,” the 132 groups said in a joint statement released to news organizations on Monday.
Citing improved economic indicators in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the CSOs said the region’s ongoing political transition “has afforded the Bangsamoro people the much-needed respite for it to flourish and develop.”
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the BARMM economy “is growing with Gross Regional Domestic Product reaching up to 7.5 percent in 2021 and 6.6 percent in 2022.”
“BARMM also ranks 10th in terms of economic growth rate. The BARMM’s poverty incidence decreased from 52.6 percent in 2018 to 29.9 percent in 2019, indicating a rise in disposable income level. This robust economic growth is undeniably one of the visible accomplishments of BARMM during the transition period,” they added.
The groups said these were the fruit of the struggle of the Bangsamoro after that massacre of young Tausug recruits for a supposed infiltration mission in Sabah, Malaysia, which the Philippines has a territorial claim.
“Fifty-six years from that fateful day in Corregidor Island, the Bangsamoro people are still in the process of rebuilding from the ashes of war and violence. It took two major peace agreements to resolve the root causes of the armed conflict and address the legitimate grievances of the Moro people vis-à-vis the Philippine government, namely, the Final Peace Agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996 and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamor with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2014.
“The undersigned civil society organizations in Mindanao join the Bangsamoro people in solemn remembrance of the 56 th anniversary of the Jabidah massacre.
This tragic event in Philippine history is regarded as the spark that ignited the Moro revolution and served as a catalyst for the Moro people’s resistance against injustice, oppression, and discrimination,” they said.
The groups attributed the optimistic outlook among the Moro population “to the steadfast leadership of Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim.” Ebrahim is the current chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the faction that broke away in 1981 from the Moro National Liberation Front, which was the first Moro revolutionary organization created in the aftermath of the Jabidah massacre.
However, while the massacre was largely blamed on the decision of then strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the CSOs also credited his only son, now President Marcos Jr., for bringing together the two revolutionary fronts under one roof in the Bangsamoro Parliament.
“Where past administrations have failed, the Marcos administration has succeeded in bringing together all the Moro revolutionary fronts in the halls of the Bangsamoro Parliament to adopt to democratic processes and contend in the peaceful battle of ideas,” they said.
The CSO Secretariat clarified to BusinessMirror however, that this would not discredit the contribution of past administrations to how far the BARMM has improved so far. The negotiation with the MNLF resulted in the Organic Act of 1988 during the administration of Corazon Aquino and culminated in the final settlement in September 1996 during the Ramos administration. There was a setback though, during the Estrada administration when it launched an all-out war against the MILF and which spilled over to the Arroyo administration although the negotiations continued.
The administration of Aquino’s son, Benigno III, continued the negotiation improving the fiscal management toward the end part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, leading to the signing in 2014 of the framework of a final agreement. The administration of Rodrigo Duterte sped up the other requirements of the peace settlement, including the agreement to have the first three-year transition.
In their joint statement, the CSOs were asking President Marcos Jr. for another extension, its third.
“We implore you to extend the transition period for another three years to fully implement the peace agreement. You owe this sacred duty to the millions of civilians who are already enjoying the dividends of peace,” they said.
The secretariat said however, that this request was not tied to the special mention of the President as the lone President who was able to bring the factions together in the Parliament “where past administrations have failed.”