Suara’s Lidasan said that this is the time for the Moro people to be on their guard the most as the agreement could be used to further plunder natural resources in Moro areas, noting that several foreign multinational companies such as Unocal and Exxon Mobil were already given permits for oil exploration and extraction, prior to the signing of the agreement.
By JOHN RIZLE L. SALIGUMBA
Davao Today
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Moro groups here demand the release of political prisoners and the punishment of human rights violators from the ranks of the GPH (Government of the Philippines) armed forces as the Framework Agreement of the Bangsamoro between the GPH and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was finally sealed on Monday.
GPH Panel Chair Dean Marvic Leonen and MILF Panel Chair Mohaqder Iqbal signed the agreement as party representatives.
“Now that there’s already a framework, I hope the government (of Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino) will release our Moro brothers who were imprisoned because of their political beliefs,” said Brother Taha (not his real name) who identified himself as an official of the MILF-Davao’s Political Committee.
Taha was with about a hundred individuals from the Moro communities in the cities of Davao, Samal and Tagum; civil society organizations and support groups who converged at the Freedom Park on Monday to show their support for the GPH-MILF signing of agreement.
He also called on the Aquino government to “punish (its) soldiers who massacred our elderly and children,” adding that “they should not be included in the war because they are civilians.”
“President Aquino has not lifted the state of emergency and lawlessness in Moro areas, nor has his administration done anything to stop the illegal arrests, terror-tagging and the filing of trumped-up charges,” Amirah Ali Lidasan, National Chairperson of Suara Bangsamaro, said in a statement released to the media.
Suara Bangsamoro noted that a year after Aquino’s “All-out Justice Campaign” against the MILF, “the victims of displacement and destruction of properties due to AFP bombardment in Basilan and Sibugay continue to cry for justice and call for the removal of government soldiers in their areas.”
Furthermore, it cited that the victims of military offensives in August this year in North Cotabato and Maguindanao still await government response to the charges they filed against the military.
Suara Bangsamoro said that families were forced to evacuate and that children became victims like four-year old Asmayra Usman and six-year old Gaily Miraato. Usman died of gunshot wounds while in an evacuation center in Maguidanao while Miraato died due to military strafing in Marawi City.
Meanwhile, Bai Ali Indayla of the Moro human rights group Kawagib said that since 2001, the Moro people have been subjected to rights abuses by the military.
Economic rights
Clad in mostly black lombongs (Abaya) and tondongs (Hijab), many who showed support to the MILF-GPH peace agreement on Monday are women.
Jairia Mapuro, from the Empowered Muslim Women Incorporated, said that the GPH must provide jobs especially for Moro women who, most often than not, are discriminated because of their tondongs.
“I’m not sure if the framework can provide us with jobs as it is still a framework,” said Omm Salam Gawar of the Women’s Group.
Gawar’s group hops from one Moro community to another in Davao, aiming to educate and organize women on the Moro struggle. “Our role as Moro women is to support our families. We educate the next generation on our issues,” she said.
Meanwhile, Taha said that after the signing of the agreement, “the road to transition would be long,” adding that, “the government must immediately implement economic programs for the people.”
Suara’s Lidasan said that this is the time for the Moro people to be on their guard the most as the agreement could be used to further plunder natural resources in Moro areas, noting that several foreign multinational companies such as Unocal and Exxon Mobil were already given permits for oil exploration and extraction, prior to the signing of the agreement.
She said that Aquino’s Executive Order No. 79 mining policy will put the Bangsamoro more vulnerable to plunder with its oil and natural gas-rich areas opened to destructive large-scale mining by foreign companies. She also warned that this policy will displace more people in Mindanao.
Kawagib’s Indayla also warned that the Aquino government is now implementing an economic program geared towards privatizing government facilities like hospitals.
“The Aquino government is privatizing hospitals, energy, water and other public utilities. If the peace negotiation ends in 2016 while privatization is implemented, there would be no government hospitals left for the poor Moro people anymore,” she said. (John Rizle L. Saligumba/davaotoday.com)
Bangsamoro, Economy, Human Rights, peace talks, World
