“Let’s Acknowledge Other Voices and Be Inclusive” - Opening Statement of Panel Chair Marvic Leonen | 25th GPH-MILF Formal Exploratory Talks



Opening Statement of GPH Chair Marvic Leonen
25th Formal Exploratory Talks with the MILF
February 13, 2012

Bismillah ir Rahman ir Rahim. Assalamu Alaikum

His Excellency Tengku Dato Abd Ghafar Tengku Mohamed and the secretariat from Malaysia.

Our able counterpart, His Excellency Mohagher Iqbal and the able members of his peace panel.

The able members of the International Contact Group that are present here.

The legacy that all of us in this room wish to participate in is to facilitate an agreement that will not only make peace possible--it is also an agreement that should bring in the possibility of making peace permanent.  The possibility of making peace permanent can only exist if we put in the necessities of achieving social justice within all our communities.  To do this, we have to acknowledge what is real, what is practicable under the circumstances; hence to build foundations within present grounds inspired with our most passionate ideals.  To do this, we also have to acknowledge that the courage and ability to sacrifice to bring about social justice is now not only a monopoly of a few.

It is certainly not a monopoly now of non-government forces.  

We are now in an administration with a President willing to risk his own political future to cleanse government of past sins of corruption and misadministration. This is an administration that recognizes that it is time that we show our public that it can have the government it deserves and to do so means to start to give it the kind of leadership that assures that the resources of government will go where it should even within the legal structure that it has inherited.

Our recent visit to the seat of power of the current government of the ARMM has made us realize that this attitude has definitely inspired many others to do the same.  Already,   within less than one hundred days after his appointment as officer in charge, the current ARMM governor, assisted by those who now serve with him, have made necessary enemies of those who should be the enemies of government--ghost employees, corrupt former politicians and their conniving contractors and many others.  We have seen his resolve to continue towards this direction.  In this we see courage.  Putting your lives in harm’s way to do what is needed to be done to cleanse entrenched interests to bring about a government that delivers justice is also part of our definition of justice.

Many are critical of his every move. Perhaps, in a democratic society it should be this way.  But there are those who would rather surrender to the old status quo, spread the pessimism that because the tasks that need to be done are enormous and entrenched, they have already become impossible. They mistake challenge for impossibility.  They mistake the pressing need to meet the hunger and the need for justice of our communities with the convenience that they now experience being where they are as a result of the old status quo.

Inclusivity in the agreement that we should sign acknowledges that there are those groups and individuals who also desire the same ends as those who belong to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).  There are many Moros who are in government and in civil society that are willing to do what is necessary to bring about social justice in all our communities.  Inclusivity, aside from honoring our democratic values, also valorizes other initiatives.  In my view, the success of any revolution can be measured by how it can acknowledge the validity of the many voices and the many acts which can be done by the constituents that it represents.  In my view, the hallmark of good leadership is its own ability to recognize that there are many other leaders that it can work with.

Working with other leaders representing constituents within the bangsamoro thus requires sitting down to define goals, articulate interests and agree on common courses of action.  To a certain extent, this is what we do in this negotiating table.  But, we think that we both need to do more than this.  For example, we hope that the MILF can go beyond its initial meetings with leaders of various groups within the MNLF as it had reported during the last round of talks.  We hope that it can actually see the current proposals of the MNLF and find common grounds with them.  This even as we work on an agreement to be signed only between the GPH and the MILF.

Finally, we should keep our ground peaceful and avoid provocation that might stir unnecessary violence.  Our mechanisms should constantly be reviewed but even in doing so, we should both abide by it.  We should do so even while we share in the desire to go against criminal elements within our communities.

It is in this light that we raise the following concern.

We have received reports that on February 4, 2012, elements of the 102nd Base Command of the MILF have moved and conducted, without coordination through our AHJAG or CCCH mechanisms, actions that appear to be law enforcement movements against cattle rustlers and drug traffickers.  This happened in Barangay Mamaan, Piagapo, Lanao del Sur.  The MILF units have met resistance from some members of the community causing instability and evacuations from that area.

We have also received reports that the following day, February 5, 2012, a group of about 200 fully armed MILF members under a certain Commander Topsider proceeded to Barangay Mamaan, burned the house of a certain Lanao Ariraya and indiscriminately fired their firearms causing panic among residents in the barangay and causing also their evacuation to neighboring areas.

Similar reports have come in from residents of Munai, Poonah Piagapo, and Matungao of Lanao del Norte as well as Piagapo, Lanao del Sur.  Apparently, in the guise of “law enforcement,” citizens are being arrested and processed in a manner causing fear and panic among the residents.

It is true that we have urged the MILF to assist in interdicting lawless elements as it had committed in our existing agreements.  However, we urge the MILF not to do so unilaterally.  We do have the AHJAG mechanisms that will enable us to work together to interdict these criminals that find sanctuary within various communities.  It is also by working together that we avoid needless panic and instability as we negotiate a final peace agreement.  We ask the MILF to withdraw its armed members from these barangays and coordinate--through our AHJAG--so we could do the right thing in the right way.  We know that this concern will be perused and considered by the MILF negotiating panel.

There are many other issues raised by some MILF leaders through the media, which will be the subject of negotiations in these talks. The sooner that we enter into an agreement, the sooner we can find viable solutions to these many issues.

We propose that in this round of talks, we focus once more on the substantive issues and explore common grounds. We acknowledge that the issues that we tackle now are the more difficult ones but we are optimistic that we can find mutually viable solutions.

Let us redouble our efforts to conclude these negotiations in the soonest possible time.  The sooner, the better.  

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To view the Opening Statement of MILF Chair Mohagher Iqbal, please click here.