COTABATO EXPLOSIONS

Written by Jess G. Dureza | 03 October 2011

EXPLOSIONS -- I'm getting worried hearing about a series of explosions in Cotabato City lately. There were no fatalities as they all seemed designed just to create some noise. I call them "acoustics warfare". I am inclined to believe that some sectors, most probably political than terroristic, are playing games.

I have an unsolicited advice to the AFP and the PNP in the area: please don't immediately put the blame on someone or some sector just immediately after the blasts happen. This has a toll on your credibility. It also canalizes the investigations. Yes, known terrorist bomber Basit Usman could probably be the real culprit but it should take more investigation or sleuthing before some announcements of suspects be made to make it more credible.

The incidents in the island provinces (Sulu, Basilan and Tawitawi) are instructive. Every time there is a terrorist attack or a criminal act committed, the convenient "garbage can" is the Abu Sayyaf. Anything that cannot immediately be solved, it's the ASG. Any encounter with dead bodies, everyone is identified as ASG. By doing this, we give the terrorists ASG the capability they do not deserve. Yes, the ASG is capable of beastly conduct. But to put all incidents in the ASG waste basket automatically is not right. Sadly, our AFP is the one "lionizing" them. Lately, the MNLF is publicly claiming that those recently killed in an encounter by the Marines are not ASG, as the AFP announced, but MNLF elements. Alas, the merit and value of the successful AFP operations are lost in the maze of mislabeling. How sad.

SUSPICIOUS WIVES' PLOY --I remember those bloody days in Davao during the height of the NPA depredations in the early 1980s. Every killing was immediately and conveniently blamed on the NPAs. Even personal grudges were swiftly, summarily settled and bodies gunned down had NPA "letters" conveniently left at the scene. This turned to worse (and amusing) when even housewives, who wanted to "terrorize" and warn their philandering husbands were signing "threat letters" themselves as "NPA Commander X" or so and so. The favorite line: "MAY NUMBER 2. HINTO-AN MO NA. ISANG BALA KA LANG!" etc. Yes, the trick worked. But for a while, the NPAs were viewed as "reformists" and "do-gooders", a reputation they hardly deserved. After a while, some husbands who sensed that the NPAs were only "used" merrily returned to their own proclivities. The suspecting wives would have been more effective if they themselves signed those letters with their own names and signatures, right? A wronged and angry wife is decidedly more deadly! Agree? But of course! Hahaha!

* * * *

SC TRO ON ARMM – I am confident that on or before September 30, the Supreme Court will settle "on the merits" the issue of whether the re-setting of the elections in the ARMM is legal or not. What we have today is merely a temporary restraining order or TRO. It is a temporary writ, for the moment. It is issued in order that any subsequent ruling on the matter will not be rendered moot. It does not yet go into the legal or substantive merit of the issue.

There should be no worry that the SC will hang things and not decide on time. I do not think our justices will allow themselves to go down in history and take the full blame of screwing up the ARMM by their palpable inaction or dilatory conduct.

Let's keep faith with our judiciary. It's the last bulwark of our democracy. To those who are pro and anti postponement, just hold on to your horses first! Don't sulk or rejoice as yet. Let's all just sit tight and wait for a few more days.

OOOOPS!--- My attention was called by Ms Iona Jalijali , head secretariat of the government panel correcting my column item last week about the change of the acronym "GRP" to "GPH" which I described as "trivial " and traced it to the Pnoy administration's tendency to put its own brand and do away with anything that has something to do with the previous administration. Evidently, the change to "GPH" was in compliance with the internationally-mandated ISO (International Organization of Standards) which officially assigned the recognized symbol "PH" or "GPH" to us.

From contemporary historian, journalist, author and peace process expert Patricio Diaz, I got another feedback. In his email, he wrote to me: "Your column in MindaNews today hit the nail smack on the head. You're the first I've read being critical to the change of "GRP" to "GPH" -- showing the pettiness of President Aquino and his advisers as well as their ignorance of the ISO code. I wrote a Comment on this last year. Carry on! You're doing Mindanao a good turn on your old boots."

Old boots are ok. "Old hats", too. Thanks, Pat!

MORO LAND DISPUTES -- Last Tuesday, I sat in a half-day forum on land disputes in Moro land under the auspices of the Bangsamoro Institute of Studies headed by my friend Abhoud Syed Lingga , who by the way, is also a member of the MILF panel. AUSAID provided some support. The deprivation of Muslims of their traditional ancestral lands is traced as a root cause. The issue of "rido" or clan wars also surfaced.

According to Prof. Abhoud "rido" thrives when there are no mechanisms for justice or redress of grievances. Aggrieved people do vengeance or take the law into their own hands. Hence, if the justice system in these areas is adequate, "rido" will have no reason for being. While I agree with Prof Abhoud, the many firearms in civilian hands, mostly illegal and unauthorized can be a factor too, not to mention tribal traditions that are better shelved than practiced in our day and age.

SHUTTLING DIPLOMACY ... I got word that the new Malaysian facilitator Tengku Gaafar (he has a much longer official title and name) is busy shuttling between the two (2) panels hoping to narrow the gap between the MILF and GPH positions as much as possible. He was also doing facilitation work during my stint as chief negotiator years ago.

Last week's scheduled negotiations in Malaysia was scrapped. Well and good! There's no point meeting if the two panels don't have a formula yet from the present deadlock position. I have mentioned earlier about the benefit of an unseen "second table" in the negotiations where issues or gridlocks are addressed before they are brought to the "formal table" for action.

But I'm confident of a solution. The difficult part now is how to bring along the sentiments and support of the stakeholders of both sides to a "win-win" and mutually acceptable scenario. As of now, the divergent voices (pro and anti substate) are still loud and shrill! But let's face it. There will be opposers as well as supporters. Even deal or peace breakers. We have to live with them. What is important is that we should not allow their voices to overwhelm the strategic need of a final settlement that has the support of the critical mass.

IS PNOY ABLE? Bottom line: President Aquino , no less, will have to invest political capital to make it happen. "Investing political capital" simply means that one does something , even though how unpopular and in the process losing goodwill or popularity for the sake of a "higher good."

FVR did it with the 1996 peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front and when he opened peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front soon thereafter. I remember that FVR, then at the height of his popularity was even pelted with tomatoes in Gen. Santos City when he openly campaigned for approval of institutionalizing the mechanisms of the peace agreement.

In the case of GMA, despite the fact that she was aware that her popularity was low and hence with not much political capital to spare, nevertheless, went for it! She did it with the MOA AD although that was aborted by the Supreme Court. And she suffered from that fallout all the more.

In both cases, the two presidents personally grappled with them and spent political capital just to see them through. The president, and no one else, has to make that judgment call.

Question: Is President Aquino, who has at the present time, so much popularity or goodwill (hence capable of even squandering political capital for the sake of peace) up to it and rise up to the call?

Let's all watch and see! ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
http://www.advocacymindanow.org/columns
http://jessdureza.multiply.com/journal/item/50