Peace Agreement in Mindanao: A battle for peace and unity (Charter Change than self-determination)

Is the right to self-determination or a shift to parliament is the last resort to attain peace in Mindanao? A peace agreement in Mindanao is a problem that existed many decades ago and that put many lives into waste. The aspiration of the Bangsamoro to acquire their independency from the Philippines, the eagerness of our Muslim brothers to find independence and that put a devastating effect in the political, social and economic aspect of the Philippines. The people of Southern Philippines experienced tremendous sufferings as the result of the conflict. There are many reasons why the Bangsamoro aspire for an independent government from the Philippines. As the concept of imperial Luzon that dominate the mentality of the southern people of the Philippines. The Mindanao produces a huge percent of raw products that is a big help boosting the Philippine economy and it is the one grievance of the southerners, that the allocation of funds are concentrated to the imperial Luzon. It is a very long debate on how the conflicts will end; it is a matter of understanding the small differences of each other. The peace talks in Mindanao are essential institution to pursue peace and unity among the Filipinos.

It is not impossible that Muslim and Christians are in the same territory and living harmoniously. The conflict is just a thing of the past that impinges to the present Bangsamoro. The goal of the creation of the Bangsamoro army is to protect the Philippine land especially the Mindanao from the foreign colonization and absolutely not to Filipino brothers. The arrangement made by the government must be done for the purpose to eradicate the violence and conflict with the Muslim brothers. It is not a lifetime problem; it is a Filipino problem and can be only solved by the Filipinos.

It is unconstitutional to separate the Mindanao from the Philippines, so the Philippine government must find the greatest solution for addressing these communal problems. Self-determination is not the solution to these conflicts, a drive to equality is the best solution for the Mindanao conflict. The government shall embody the autonomous region constitutional rights, a genuine autonomy. This is an approach of decentralization of governmental functions to the local level. The Muslims in Mindanao truly seeks for development but the allocation of public funds is centralized in the imperial Luzon even the Mindanao is a major provider of natural resources. It is a call for the amendment of the Philippines Charter, the formulation of the new charter must consider even the most little ethnical group in the Philippines. It is the matter of what they want for them not to seek redress in a violent way and seperation from the Philippines.

There are many solutions that will address these problems. First the researchers would like to determine the problems faced by the Bangsamoro in Mindanao. In political aspect, we see that even thou the 1987 Constitution and Local Government Code of 1991 vested genuine autonomy to ARMM it is observed that the moros cannot enjoy the decentralization because of the intervention of the national government. Although they are utilizing the privileges of political autonomy there are some high coercive interference of the national government on how they run their autonomous region. In social aspect or cultural aspect, there are some discriminating custom that is embedded to every Filipinos that Muslims are violent people. The PHDR 2005 study reveals that a considerable percentage (33percent to 39 percent) of Filipinos is biased against Muslims. Exclusion from job opportunities is very high given that 46 percent of the Christian population would choose Christian male worker and 40 percent Christian female domestic helper. Only 4 percent will choose a Muslim male worker and 7 percent Muslim female domestic helper. Majority of the Christians cannot even accept Muslims as neighbors, as the study shows that in Metro Manila 57 percent opt for residence with higher rent but far from a Muslim community (Understanding the Bangsamoro Right to Self-Determination-Abhoud Syed M. Lingga). The impression is an effect of the conflict in Mindanao where the moros are using bloodshed to protest their independency and the impression in the international level that Muslims are more prone to engage in terrorism. Violence is embedded to the moros and the moros reaction will always trigger to do such unlawful act for their protection and to serve Allah. In the economical aspects, Mindanao is the 2^nd largest island in the Philippines, rich in natural resources, has no annual typhoon activity and almost produce 100% of the Philippine bananas, pineapple and aluminium ore but the development in Mindanao is least prioritized by the national government. They claim that they are one of the most economic boosters of the Philippines and yet their economic development seems hard to find. It is the concept of imperial Manila where the central government allocates more public fund to the development of Luzon and the Mindanao being the least prioritized. The agony of the Bangsamoros are decades old, they just want an equal distribution of resources, governmental powers and an independent people who can live the way they want. The promise land of Mindanao for the moros are very different from the majority of the inhabitants in the Philippines.

Possible remedy for the agony of the Bangsamoros, Is the right to self-determination is the last resort of the government to put an end to this conflict? The right to self-determination is an international law stated on the united Nation’s Charter. Article 55 of the United Nations charter, which provides that the world body shall create conditions of stability and well-being which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples (Charter of United Nations). It is their right to be independent but it is contrary to the territorial integrity of the states, authorising or encouraging any action which would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent States conducting themselves in compliance with the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples and thus possessed of a government representing the whole people belonging to the territory without distinction as to race, creed or colour (United Nations General Assembly Resolution No. 2625). It is a conflict of interest on both secessionist and the state. The self-determination of the Bangsamoro has been too impossible for the current charter;  the people should be able to achieve self-determination through a fully participatory and democratic process, Self-determination is achieved by fully participatory democratic processes among the people who are seeking the realization of self-determination, including referenda where appropriate (Understanding the Bangsamoro Right to Self-Determination-Abhoud Syed M. Lingga). If the government really want to address the problems or to resolve the conflict in Mindanao, the government shall provide an equal access for the Bangsamo in participating in the national government. A shift to a parliamentary type of government will provides an opportunity for the right to self-determination of the Bangsamoros. An equal chance in participating, in decision making and law execution of the Bangsamoros in national level will serves as an ending to the Muslim-Christian conflicts.

What about the Christian inhabitants in Mindanao? The Autonomous region for Muslim Mindanao is an Islamic region, wherein the Muslims are concentrated to that region and the rest is a mixture of Christian and Muslims. Majority of the inhabitants of Mindanao are also Christians. The issue of self determination is only to resolve the conflict between Filipinos vs. Filipinos. The shift of presidential to parliament will give an answer for the moros whether to continue to pursue self-determination or be satisfied on the privileges offer by the parliament type of government. Separation is not always the solution to end conflict, giving what they want in political, economical and social or cultural aspect would be an essential factor to finally end the bloodshed in Mindanao. As the researchers observed that not all Muslims want to separate from the Philippines and the group that continue to fight their right to self-determination are rebel group who inherited the dreams of their ancestor to protect Mindanao from being a colony. This paper finds it interesting to go back to the historical events in Mindanao, the natives of Mindanao are economic experts, and the Mindanao is the central capital for economics and trade of the Philippines in pre-Spanish period. Until the colonization of the Spaniards, Mindanao concentrates the public funds to finance their army to protect their homeland from being a colony. Up to this day that it is the concept of why the MILF and MNLF fight for separation of Mindanao from the Philippines. They did not realize that the war is over and it is time for peace and unity. Accepting the fact that Philippine archipelago has one of the most diverse inhabitants, culture and ethnicity. The government must now then realize that there is no absolute reason on the occurrence of war in Mindanao, the war is just begun to be a tradition of the Bangsamoros.

Wrapping it all up, the three factors of the society is the major problem of the Bangsamoro. The political ascpect in which they cannot see their participation in to the national government and the concept of decentralization or autonomy which they did not enjoy in ARMM, it is their political status in the Philippines. The social or cultural aspect, they are discriminated in the society full of Christians and their culture and religion are a little bit engage to terrorism and most of all their economical aspect that continuously goes down and where they aspire development, the natural resources extracted from Mindanao are concentrated to the center of the government (The Imperial Manila). The least prioritize for the allocation of resources because of conflicts. The Mindanao and the Bangsamoro seeks these developments so they can aspire for  their right to self-determination. These are the major reason of why there is a war in the south of the Philippines. Addressing these problems will be an essential factor to finally end the war. Self-determination is not the last resort of the government to end this agony, a shift to parliamentary type of government will give equalization for both Muslims and Christian in political, social and economical interaction. The small differences is not a problem, it is more about inequality.

As for the conclusion, the three main factors of the society are the grassroots of all of these conflicts. Providing a system that will give an equal participation on the three factors will resolve the agony of the Philippines. A shift to parliamentary would be the solution of the myriad ills of the Philippines as a nation, seats for representing the Bangsamoro or the Muslim community to formulate an effective and good governing equally for Muslims and Christians. Giving want they want with conditions and providing the genuine autonomy vested on ARMM will eliminate the thinking of discrimination. The concept of decentralization must put into a great campaign and execution; the national government must not interfere with the local politics. A more like a federal-parliamentary, will be more sufficient in addressing problems regarding to local autonomy or genuine autonomy.

The cultural diversity or differences would not be a hindrance for uniting the Mindanao back to the Philippines, Filipinos are Filipinos and there is no reason to fight over with the small differences. The government shall focus on the promotion of the equal appreciation of different ethnicity in the Philippines especially with the Muslim who have been discriminated for decades. The government shall be firmly aspiring for the development of being a one nation with a diverse culture. The current charter is insufficient proving the genuine autonomy; it is a call for ratifying or totally changing our charter. A shift to parliament or federal-parliament it the best type of democracy that are fitted to a nation like the Philippines with a diverse culture.