FINDING THE COMMON GROUND IN THE GPH-MILF PEACE TALKS:
A View from the Stakeholders and Grassroots
We, the delegates of the 2nd National Solidarity Conference on Mindanao (NSCM II), representing religious leaders, business community, civil society organizations, indigenous peoples, women, youth, internally displaced persons and academe, gathered in Davao City on September 8-9, 2011 to tackle the theme, “The GPH-MILF Peace Talks: Finding the Common Ground;”
DEEPLY ENCOURAGED by the results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey that 8 out of 10 Filipinos are hopeful that the GPH-MILF Peace Talks will result in a signing of a peace agreement;
SERIOUSLY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s pronouncement that the strong political capital and public support that he now enjoys will be most effective up to 2013;
STRONGLY AGREE with the statement of MILF Chairman Al Haj MuradEbrahim that “contentious and divisive issues in the peace negotiations can be resolved if both government and the MILF panels treat each other as partners instead of adversaries.”
With the unequivocal mandate from their principals to fast-track the negotiations, we believe that this is not the time for the parties to show off posturing or compete with each other’s intellectual prowess and superiority in terms of strategies and tactics in negotiation. This is the time to lay down the cards on the table, roll the sleeves up and start the work of honest, discerning and determined negotiations mindful of the following
PEACE OUTCOMES:
- Address the aspiration of the Bangsamoro people for self-governance in accordance with their distinct identity, culture, religion and way of life;
- Correct the imbalance of totality of relationship between Filipinos and Moros.
- Give due recognition and justice to the ancestral homeland of the Moros.
- Deliver good and effective governance, social services and foster economic development as soon as possible.
- Recognize the Moro aspiration for separate national identity while retaining their Filipino citizenship.
- Demilitarize, rehabilitate and normalize the situation in the conflict-affected areas.
- Filipinos and Moros share the fruits of peace and become partners in development.
MINDFUL of the long years of negotiations that have spanned four administrations -- Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and now under President Aquino - it is prudent and wise that the peace panels build and harness the gains of the negotiations by closely working on the consensus points as building blocks for a negotiated political settlement. We are confident that both parties will not squander the long years of past negotiations by starting from scratch.
LISTENING to the presentation of the GPH panel, and at the same time paying attention to those that have not been said, we feel that the GPH panel has not yet fully laid down its cards. While it was quick to state that this is part of the negotiation process, it will save a lot of time and energies if the GPH panel, which is in the position to give in this negotiation, will be able to respond squarely to the proposals of the MILF. Having described its proposal as the starting point, it will be more productive and honestly different, if GPH lays down its proposal not only from the starting point but also up to the ending point in order to spare the parties from what could be an unnecessary guessing game;
HEARING also from the MILF Peace Panel, we feel that the act of rejecting outright the proposal of the government was not faithful to the mutual understanding of the principals to fast-track the negotiations. We urge the MILF to return to the negotiating table without pre-condition, extend the hand of dialogue and move heaven and earth in order to fulfill the political aspirations of the Bangsamoro people. It is by talking and negotiating that we are able to narrow the gaps of the two proposals at hand;
FINDING the common ground to move forward has not been an easy task for the NSCM2 considering the fact that the official proposals of both parties up to now remain confidential and inaccessible to ordinary stakeholders. From the little knowledge that we have gathered and given the limited access to official documents actually exchanged in the formal talks, we believe that in order to find the common ground, it is imperative for both parties to address some procedural, psychological and substantive issues that impede the way towards the common ground, such as:
Psychological
- At this critical stage in the negotiation, it is important for the parties to increase confidence-building measures and cultivate the real essence of partnership that both the GPH and the MILF are proposing. Accusations and counter-accusations will not help the seeming deadlock of positions. “Talk to each other instead of talking about each other in the media” is the call of the day as suggested by the Bangsamoro civil society leaders. This applies also to statements posted on social networking sites which spread like virus and are prone to misinterpretation and agitation.
- Pounding the rido problem on the MILF like it is a conditio sine qua non to negotiated political settlement does not improve the call to develop genuine partnership. We believe that the peace mechanisms on the ground such as the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and the International Monitoring Team are much more effective and competent to deal with the ground issues while the peace panels focus their attention on bridging the substantive gaps of the proposals at hand.
Procedural
- The issue on which draft will be used as a working draft is for us irrelevant and counter-productive. Why not use both drafts and from there develop the working draft together? What is lacking in one draft can be filled in by the contents of the other draft and vice-versa. This may sound too simplistic but as it stands now, there are two proposals on the table and both are not diametrically opposed but could actually feed on some gaps that each proposal may be found wanting. For instance, as the two proposals stand, it cannot simply be a choice between political solution or socio-economic development. Both proposals can go together and will be mutually beneficial.
- At this stage in the negotiation, we also remind the GPH panel to activate its Advisory Team especially those coming from the House of Congress and Senate and the Judiciary, so that the other branches of government will already be on board and will hopefully cooperate in the eventual legitimatization process of the peace agreement.
Substantive
- The Bangsamoro Commission as proposed by the GPH panel may be further developed and negotiated to address the task of “legalizing the peace agreement.” Admittedly, there are proposals on the table that cannot pass the test of constitutionality, thus requiring possible amendments of the present constitution. Representation in the Bangsamoro Commission as proposed by the GPH can be improved by ensuring that it will be led and determined by the Bangsamoro people taking into account participation in terms of gender, ethnic nationalities within Bangsamoro nation and sectoral interests.
Along these lines, the NSCM2 puts forward the following recommendations:
1. For the parties to immediately return to the negotiating table and tackle the Draft MILF Comprehensive Compact and the GPH Three-for-One Solution with the end in view of bringing together provisions of the two proposals that are mutually acceptable to the parties. We urge the parties to continue the efforts until they arrive at a mutually acceptable working draft.
2. Instead of debating what will be the name of the governing political entity – whether it will be a substate or a new, improved and reformed ARMM or “autonomy in brackets” as described by the GPH panel – we recommend that the parties focus putting flesh and substance to the governance structure that will be suitable and acceptable to the Bangsamoro people. The parties do not have to start from scratch here because the Draft Comprehensive Compact of the MILF has a very concrete proposal which can be further enhanced and reframed in a manner that can be easily understood by the layman. Acknowledging the historical injustices committed against the Bangsamoro and indigenous peoples in Mindanao, as proposed by the GPH, is a very important element for healing and reconciliation.
This clearly resonates with the statement of President Aquino that "From the very beginning, the devil is in the details. Bakaiyong enhanced autonomy namin at sakaiyong sub-state nila, sapangalanmagkalayo, perosadetalye, bakamagkalapit. So, talagangitututoknatindoonsadetalye, ide-define ngbawatisangpanig, anobatalagaangposisyonnila, anobaiyongmgadetalye at palagaykomaramiangmakikitadoonnamagkakaparehas."
3. To prevent a repeat of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA-AD) of 2008, we take the risk of being repetitious by reiterating the NSCM standing recommendation for the setting-up of a regular feedback mechanism and public consultations that should be institutionalized in the local government units, national government agencies, including the legislative and judicial branches of government.
FINALLY, for the GPH and MILF peace panels we pray that God will bestow upon you good health, wisdom, patience and creativity to become effective peacemakers. We hope that your efforts will lead you to the common ground for a negotiated political settlement which will finally realize our shared aspirations for peace, justice, and social progress. After doing everything that is humanly possible, we entrust everything to our Almighty God and seek out divine intervention that we may experience the joys of heaven, here on earth.
Once again, we commit our skills, time, talents, energies, patience and creativity in order to fulfill the hopes of the majority of our people; that a peace agreement will not only be signed but also implemented during the term of President Aquino. This is the best legacy that the son of Cory and Ninoy, our President, can give to the peoples in Mindanao.
September 9, 2011, Davao City.
