On spoilers
The Bangsamoro peace process can be considered as one of the longest peace processes in the world considering the more than four decades of peace talks and implementation. Within the four decades we saw what happens when spoilers succeed in their objectives.
In 2008, the failure to sign the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA AD) sparked a civil war in Central Mindanao and parts of Lanao del Norte. It also paved the way for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
During the administration of President Noynoy Aquino, the failure to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in 2014 led to the surfacing of more splinter groups like the Ansarul Kilafa and the Maute Group in Lanao del Norte.
In both cases of failure, the casualties of the armed conflict increased tremendously and resulted to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. By now, we must understand that if all spoilers succeed, the quest for peace in our land would be dangerously counterproductive.
We must recognize the fact that the crucial difference between the success and failure of spoilers is the role played by our government and the international actors as custodians of peace.
If they can create and implement coherent and effective strategies for protecting peace and managing spoilers, damage may be controlled and peace will be achieved. But if they fail to develop and implement such strategies, spoilers of the Bangsamoro peace process will definitely succeed at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives.
Our government must learn from the past experiences. We must also come up with an appropriate strategy with the correct diagnosis of the type of spoilers that we face. To arrive at good diagnoses, policy makers like Congress must work hand in hand with the executive department.
The recent incident in Marawi City is an eye opener. As we prolong the conflict in Bangsamoro and with our failure to arrive at an acceptable political solution, the Bangsamoro communities, especially our youth, are prone to radicalization and recruitment for violent extremism.
As I monitored the reactions of the youth from the Bangsamoro communities, I told myself that I cannot speak on behalf of the Moro fronts and the Bangsamoro people. I can only speak for myself.
My dad taught me to always look at the brighter side of life. He also told me not to react but to act accordingly and to respect the dignity of everyone.
I still believe that Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is proposing her own Bangsamoro law, has the noble intention of helping not only the Bangsamoro people but also to consider the welfare of the Filipino nation. She wants to help and that is the common ground where we can work together.
I understand the nature of politics. I understand the nature of plurality of votes. I also understand that there are two tracks of the peace process: the horizontal and the vertical.
As always, I focus my energy on the horizontal wherein we build communities, we bridge trust and confidence of Muslims and Christians. Our work is not yet finished. Our work has just begun even more deeply.--
from SunStar Davao