Presidentiables’ peace policy in Mindanao

Mansoor L. Limba on April 26, 2016

MAKATI CITY (26 April) – Attended by all the five presidential candidates,the third and
last leg of the presidential debate series was held last Sunday at the Phinma University of
Pangasinan in Dagupan City.

Following a town hall meeting format, the five presidential bets were asked questions from
sectoral representatives whom the Commission on Elections (Comelec) media partner, ABS-
CBN, flew in from different provinces. The issues raised by the selected sectoral
representatives were Metro traffic and public transport, job security, health, foreign policy,
basic public education, oversees Filipino workers (OFWs), and peace in Mindanao.

When asked by the concerned sectoral representative,Amina, who is an evacuee anddivorcee

with five childrenfrom DatuPiang, Maguindanao, on how they could put an end to conflicts in
Mindanao, the presidentiables identified different causes of the conflicts, and offered
corresponding solutions.

Defensor-Santiago

It was Sen. Miriam Defenso-Santiago’s turn to give the first answer, thus:

“Una, we will dismantle the private armies. Merongprivate armynakaiba pa sa Armed Forces
of the Philippines. Yan
nanggagalingsaisangpulitikodiyannamaramingperangninakawsagobyerno
kaya,kayaniyamagbuo ng isangarmy. At tapositongarmy naito,
hindinamadisiplinadahilsinasabinilanagtutulongnamandawsilasagobyerno. Kaya
yunangunang-unangtutukandiyansaibanayan. Pangalawa, to stop the internecine conflict in
Mindanao, we have to adapt their customary or traditional law into our Western style model
of justice – of the justice system. For example, magandanamanyungmgaugali ng Tausog
kaya ginawana – may municipal ordinance ng isang – ng isangbayan. Pagkatapos,
meronsilang sharia court, so magandarinangmgabase. Kaya sadalawangparaannaito,
maaaringmagkamagkaka – magkatagumpaynatayosa wakas at mahintonaanggiyera or
terrorism sa Mindanao.”

Santiago identified (1) militarism of private armies and (2) conflict of laws (between the
Philippine (Western) law and the Muslim customary or traditional law) as the cause of “the
internecine conflict in Mindanao,” and in order to stop it, she is determined “to dismantle
private armies”and “to adapt their customary and traditional lawsinto our Western style
model of the justice system”.

By pinning her hope in these two solutions to put an end to “giyera (war) and terrorism,” the
lady doctor of laws regrettably lumps together under the rubric of ‘terrorism’ all the diverse
types of conflicts in Mindanao, whereas the main issuehere is sovereignty-based; it is an issue
of decolonization recognized in public international law; it is an issue of the inalienable right
to self-determination of once a free nation or nations.This is apart from the other conflicts
which are ideological in nature (such as with the armed leftists in the Philippines), terrorism
in nature, or police cases of criminality and family feud. Moreover, the conflict of laws is just
secondary in nature in comparison to the universal right to self-determination.
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Roxas

The administration and Liberal Party candidate Manuel Roxas II replied in this way:

“Para kay Aling Amina, alamkopoanginyongsitwasyon. Nakwento din posa akin ni Ina
Ambolodto, isangtuladmo, lakisapagigingbakwitdoonsaMaguindanaoangkanyangistorya
kung saantalagangnawalan ng pag-asa. Kaya natinisinulongyungComprehinsive Agreement
on Bangsamuro, para magkaroonnanga ng kapayapaan. Alamnatin, kung walang
development, walangkapayapaan. Pero kung walanamangkapayapaan, wala ding progreso
at development. Kaya'tdalawang – dalawang kilos poito. Sa isangbahin, yungatinggobyerno,
sinusulongangusapin para sakapayapaansalahat ng mgasektorlalung-lalonasa MILF doonsa
Mindanao. At sakabilangsektornaman, sakabilangbahin, yung development,
yungimprastraktura. Yung imprastrakturananaparatingnatinsa Mindanao ngayon ay
doblesanakaraanglimangtaonkumparasalahat ng
imprastrakturananaparatingdoonnoongnakaraanglabing-
dalawangtaonnoongnakaraangdalawangpangulo. Ganunangpagtinginnatinsa Mindanao. Ito,
may konkretotayongginawa. Ginawanatinyung Comprehensive Agreement,
isinulongnatinang BBL. Sa kasawiangpalad, hindiitonaipasasaSenado at
saKongreso.Pagakopo ay nagingpangulo, isusulongkopoyan. Dahilpeace without progress
hindimangyayari, pero progress without peace ay hindirinmangyayari.
Dapatpanahonnanamaisakatuparanangpangako ng Mindanao.”

As can be gleaned from Roxas’ formula, “Alamnatin, kung walang development,

walangkapayapaan,” the cause of the conflict is simply underdevelopment, and the solution
to this, accordingly, is two-pronged: advancement of peace to attain development, and
pushing for development in order to achieve peace.

Duterte

Incumbent Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte offered the following reaction:

“The war in Mindanao runs deep. You know, this may sound funny to you but when
Magellan landed in Leyte, Islam was already planted firmly in Mindanao because they belong
to a different (sultanate). Angmakakaintindilangyong Sabah papuntang Malaysia. But you
know, the conquerors and the Americans and the Spaniards, kinuhanilaang Mindanao which
was already Islam. Kaya yongpumuntayongmgasundalo ng EspanyolpatiAmerikano,
giyeratalaga. We have to talk and we have to correct the historical injustice. I tell you as a
Mayor of the City of Davao...there will be no peace. There can never be a federal government
until we talk to the NPAs which has been fighting us, I know, ‘70s estudyantenaako. Ngayon,
70 years old naako. You know, it has to be a development but you have to make the peace
there bagokamakagalaw. Paghindimonakausap 'to in peace talks, everything will fail. I
would like to tell you and I'm telling now to the Republic of the Philippines, nothing will
appease the Muslims, the Moro people, if you do not give them the BBL...”

From this reaction, Duterte identified the root of the conflict in Mindanao deep down in
history, and for him, the solution is to correct the historical injustices by enacting into law the
draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which is the latest agreed upon legal instrument for
expressing and exercising the right to self-determination of the concerned people.

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Binay

Vice President Jejomar Binay addressed the question in this manner:

“Alamponinyo, Aling Amina, ako ho aysanaynasanaymakipag-usap. Bago ho

akonapuntasagobyerno, nakikipag-usapako dun samgamanggagawa at
sakasakanilangpinagta-trabahuan. Nungnaging mayor poako, yungmga hostage problems,
nagkakaroonpoako ng resultangmaganda.Ipagpapatuloykopo, Aling Amina, katulad ng
bawat Pilipino natayo ho aymagkaroon ng talagangkatahimikang, ah, namatagalan. Lasting
peace, yunngapoangsabi. Sa akin, saakingpalagay, yanhong lasting peace nayan eh
makakamit kung mahaharapponatinangproblema ng kahirapannanaglipanapo don
sainyonglugar. Yan poangpinagmulan kung bakit ho meronhonggustongumalis, ito ho ay
gumagamit ng dahas para ibagsakangpamahalaan. Pero, angpuno'tduloponyan ay
yungkahirapan. Sa akingpamumuno, aangat at aangatangbuhaypo dun sainyonglugarsa
Mindanao, at yan ho angmagigingpangunahingdahilan kung paano ho tayomagkakaroon ng
lasting peace sainyonglugar. Oh, yun poangakingpangako ho sainyo. At nakatitiyak kayo,
kasiako ho aksyonagad, ginagawako, ha. I make decisions. As a leader, I am decisive.
Mangyayaripoyan.”

From his answer above, it can be inferred that the Vice President simplistically pinpointed
poverty as the problem, and accordingly, the sought-after lasting peace can be attained by
addressing the problem of poverty.

Poe

Sen. Grace Poeresponded to the query in this fashion:

“Amina, bilangisangbabae, naiintindihankita. Angmgalalake, pasansiguronilaangarmas,

peropasannatinangmundosaatingbalikatpag may gyera. Sapagkattayoangnaiiwan para
bantayanangatingpamilya. Sa Mindanao, kapayapaan ay napakahalaga.
Pero…doonsamgateroristananananakit o pumapatay, hindinatindapatsilapagbigyan kung
ayawnilangmakipagbalikan, makipag-usapansagobyerno. All-out war
samganagbabantasaatin, perodapat all-out development rin. Sa Maguindanao, wala pa
yatakayong provincial hospital. Isa yansapangangailangannatin.
Importanterinnapangalagaannatinangimprastrakturasapagkat kung konektado kayo
saisa'tisa, mas madalingmababantayanangmgateritoryonatinsa Mindanao.Ngayon, may
problema, hindilamangsaPilipinaskundisa Malaysia. Kung hindiakonagkakamali,
binarananilayung border nahindimakakapuntadoonangatingmgakapatidsaTawi-Tawi
paramag-trade or barter. Kailanganmagkaroontayo ng bilateral talks para
talagangsugpuinangteroristasapagkatnawawala ng trabahoangatingmgakababayan. Kung
akomagingpangulo, ipagpapatuloykoangusapinkapaya – pang
kapayapaanperodapatkasamaanglahat. At hinditayodapatnamimili ng iilanggrupolamang.”

As can be deduced from her offered solution of “all-out war” for those who refuse to
negotiate with the government, as well as “all-out development” in the form of health
services, infrastructure and trading opportunities, the cause of the conflict could be
categorized as lack of social services.

Summary

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In sum, the presidentiables’ peace policy in Mindanao can be given as follows:

Santiago: to dismantle private armies and adapt Muslim customary and traditional laws into
the Philippine western style model of the justice system.

Roxas: to advance peace for development, as well as development for peace.

Duterte: to correct historical injustices.

Binay: to address the problem of poverty.

Poe: to provide social services.

The decision is yours, dear readers, which of these policies to buy comes the reckoning day.

[Mansoor L. Limba, PhD in International Relations, is a writer, educator, blogger, and

translator (from Persian into English and Filipino) with tens of written and translation works
to his credit on such subjects as international politics, history, political philosophy,Islamic
finance, jurisprudence (fiqh), theology (‘ilm al-kalam), Qur’anic sciences and exegesis
(tafsir), hadith, ethics, and mysticism. He can be reached at mlimba@diplomats.com, or
http://www.mlimba.com and http://www.muslimandmoney.com.]