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War is coming

MR. EXPOSE

Amb. Ernesto Maceda

08/06/2008

Finally, the public read the terms of the MILF-GRP agreement on ancestral domain to be signed in Malaysia Monday morning when the Philippine Daily Inquirer published the agreement in full. Fortunately, the Supreme Court issued a TRO to stop the signing.

It became quite clear that GMA and her officials kept the negotiations secret and refused to give copies of the draft agreement to interested leaders and stakeholders of Mindanao because it was patently unconstitutional, extremely generous to the MILF and highly objectionable to any rational thinking Filipino.

As analyzed by many experts, it means the creation of a separate Bangsamoro state with the Philippine “central government” ceding territory and territorial waters, surrendering control of natural resources with the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) getting 75 percent of all proceeds from oil, mines, forest, fisheries and other rich natural resources, including air rights. That’s in stark contrast to her obstinate refusal to give up P70 billion in VAT revenues on oil to benefit the whole country.

It means gerrymandering six towns and 700 barangays including those in traditional Christian areas like Zamboanga City and Iligan, not to mention Cotabato City.

Fast track the situation to five years after the agreement comes into force. You will have a Bangsamoro state with a well equipped armed force of at least 30,000 funded by the 75 percent share of income from natural resources and from assistance from the United States and oil rich Middle East states that have given it recognition.

Will the Bangsamoro civilian and military leaders be satisfied with their present territory? Consider the fact that under the Tripoli agreement, they claim the whole of Mindanao as their ancestral lands. Definitely, they will move aggressively toward expanding their territory. To begin with, pity the Christians of Basilan, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Sulu and especially Cotabato City which they insist on keeping as their capital even if it is not part of ARMM. Simply put, they will run them out of town. Kidnapping of businessmen, teachers and priests will escalate.

And the 700 barangays now included in ARMM which certainly would have a Bangsamoro armed detachment, would it be improbable if they will start to encroach and control neighboring barangays? No, it will most likely happen. Even now when a peace agreement is agreed upon, MILF rebels are raiding and killing Christians in Midsayap, Aleosan and Libungan in North Cotabato, and in Basilan.

The MILF-GRP agreement will mean the 90 percent of the Christian population will go to war to protect their hard earned land, houses and businesses.

The MILF-GRP agreement will not result in peace. On the contrary, it will mean war all over Mindanao with the unhappy circumstance that you will have Prime Minister Gloria Arroyo backing the Bangsamoro forces against her friends and relatives in Iligan, Davao and Cotabato.

You will have the 90 percent of Christian population in Mindanao planning to declare themselves as a separate Republic too, under President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Vicente “Donkoy” Emano. You will have the people of the “Central government” suffering more food shortages and food prices going up because you have to import food from rich Mindanao. Local industries will close because everything will be smuggled into the Bangsamoro territory worse than Subic or Port Irene.

GMA has committed not only treason but certainly a gross violation of her oath to do justice to every man.

By doing justice to 5 million Muslims she is committing an injustice to 85 million Filipinos.

Sad, but that is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Let’s hope and pray that the Supreme Court will side with the people over that of its patron, GMA. And make the TRO permanent.

More implications. Former Senate President Franklin Drilon and Makati Mayor Jojo Binay argued with much logic that if the Bangsamoro independent state is allowed to come into being, other ethnic minorities in the country can agitate for the same. The Igorots of Benguet can claim that Baguio is their ancestral domain, the Kalingas, the Apayaonons, the Ibanags and Hilogots can claim the whole of Region II or the Cagayan Valley. The Itnegs of Abra can claim the Cordillera Region.

And how about the Aetas of Zambales and the Mangyans of Mindoro? They too, would have a right to claim several towns including mountains in their traditional areas.

Serious water shortage. A group of MWSS employees have filed a plunder case against recently retired Administrator Lorenzo Jamora for the alleged malversation of P791 million in MWSS funds. Also charged is Deputy Administrator Marcia Cruz. This highlights once again the fact that for the last 50 years, MWSS, formerly Nawasa, has been a hotbed of corruption.

Worse up to now, MWSS has not made a decision to award the project to tap the water of Laguna de Bay to provide water for Metro Manila which has been pending for three years. It is certain that due to this delay, Metro Manila will experience serious water shortages by 2010.

Lorenzo Jamora is reportedly a protégé of Rep. Iggy Arroyo and Grace Ibuna.

In its Sunday edition, the Manila Times chronicled the continuing deterioration of our water supply.

It is hard to understand why there has been no government effort to capture the rainwater of which we have so much. To begin with, all government buildings, both national and local should now build water catchments systems to store rain water.

In Australia, all houses are required to have water catchments structures.

For our rice production, the Department of Agriculture should now provide more funds for water impounding dams to be used for irrigation. We used to build some of these through self help when we headed the Presidential Arm on Community Development.

Tidbits. Rep. Danny Suarez (LP, Quezon, 3rd dist.) who commissioned the latest SWS survey which showed GMA’s approval rating going lower to negative 50, said the culprit is GMA’s bad handling of media relations. It’s not as simple as that, Rep. Suarez. Expect GMA’s dissatisfaction ratings to go up to 80 percent in Mindanao...

Neng Juliano who was cheated out of the majority race of Cotabato City, is blaming the one-sided MILF-GRP agreement to the appointment of a non-Mindanaoan retired Gen. Hermogenes Esperon who she suspects has a hidden agenda of his own...

A well-known Mindanao businessman estimates that Rep. Edelmiro Amante’s mining operations has bought 2 billion worth of mining equipment. That’s how big his former “small scale” mining operation has become. Will he fight the Bangsamoro republic once it is formed? Or will he just buy them off?

Oppositors to Jpepa threaten they will campaign against senators supporting the Jpepa. That’s not going to work. Senators are a hardy lot who do not succumb to threats. In fact, Sen. Miriam Santiago remarked “I don’t care, I have no more political ambitions...”

San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito hosted a dinner program for dad, President Erap last night at the Teatrino Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan on the occasion of President Erap’s 39th anniversary of entrance to public service. It was Aug. 5, 1969 when Erap assumed office as Mayor of San Juan after winning a protest...

Congratulations to Antonio Lagdameo, Tony Floirendo’s son-in-law on his appointment as Ambassador to Spain... Dumaguete has arrived as a tourist destination of retired persons and Korean students. Part of its attraction is the excellent facilities of Siliman University and St. Paul’s University. Negros Oriental has excellent seaside resorts including Apo reef... PO3 Gaspar Carandang of the Imus, Cavite police was shot dead while trying to serve a warrant of arrest against a murder suspect. This is a big problem of the PNP- how to serve warrant of arrest...