Ancestral Domain
Lack of concern hurting fishing industry
Feb 22nd
Today, I want to assure the people of Gen San that I will vigorously and relentlessly pursue efforts toward boosting our local fisheries industry and at the same time work on achieving peace and development in Southern Philippines.
I feel for the fishery sector as much as I share the peace and development aspirations for Mindanao. The South Cotabato area alone is rich in natural resources and has enormous potential for eco-tourism. I encourage the people of Gen San to explore all possibilities and pursue opportunities.
We need to renegotiate the bilateral Fishing Agreement with Indonesia that will allow Filipino fishermen to More >
Leave task of finding peace in Mindanao to next president
Feb 19th
Having failed in its efforts to deliver lasting peace to Southern Philippines, President Arroyo should leave the task of forging a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the country’s next president.
While we can fairly say that her government tried its best to reach a peace agreement in Mindanao, we have to accept the fact that President Arroyo lost all her credibility with the Filipino people and the international community when her negotiators bungled the handling of the so-called GRP-MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) that was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2008.
President More >
SC should rule on constitutionality of Maguindanao martial law despite early lifting
Dec 15th
We urge the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of Proclamation 1959 even after President Arroyo lifted martial law in Maguindanao Saturday night.
The Supreme Court must make decision on the matter for the future guidance of the nation. Malacanang may not admit it, but a major consideration in the lifting was the apparent inability of government to defend its legality.
Despite the lifting of martial law, the Supreme Court should still rule on the petition filed before the high court questioning its legality. With the lifting of Proclamation 1959, we expect government to argue that the petitions should be dismissed More >
Leave the peace process to Filipinos
Apr 2nd
I warn the government against the over-internationalization of the Mindanao peace talks. The age-old conflict must be resolved primarily by Filipino themselves.
I add my voice to the growing opposition against the plan of Malacanang to organize a group of internationally-known personalities to serve as advisers in the peace talks with Muslim secessionist rebels in Mindanao.
As a member of the peace process advisory committee during the administration of then President Fidel Ramos, I agree with the observation of Muslim lawyer and educator Adel Tamano that bringing prominent people such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former United Nations (UN) Secretary More >
Her agenda in the ancestral domain agreement
Mar 20th
I have not come across an agreement where the violations of the Constitution are so brazen and reckless as what I have seen in the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the Government (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In fact, the “Terms of Reference” and the entire MOA-AD cite numerous agreements, laws and international conventions, but omit any reference to the Philippine Constitution.
The MOA-AD contains the terms and conditions agreed upon by the GRP and the MILF on Ancestral Domain, or the Muslims’ historical claim over the Southern Philippines as their homeland, which was one More >
Unwarranted intervention
Mar 20th
I deplored the “internationalization” of the Mindanao peace process. The “unwarranted intervention” of certain foreign countries was making it more difficult for the national government to resolve its “internal problem” with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
I had been receiving persistent reports that the intervention of some countries, including Malaysia and the United States, was putting “undue pressure” on government negotiators to grant concessions to the MILF that clearly violate the Philippine Constitution, such as the giving away of certain territories of the republic. We certainly do not want to happen to Mindanao what happened to Kosovo.
I am alarmed by the More >
Bar signing of MILF agreement
Aug 11th
I, together with Adel Tamano, petitioned the Supreme Court to bar permanently the Philippine panel from entering into an agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), because the proposed pact was in gross violation of the 1987 Constitution.
In the “Petition-in-Intervention,” we filed on August 11, 2009, we asked the High Tribunal to render a decision prohibiting and permanently enjoining the Respondents from further signing, executing, entering into, proceeding or implementing the terms of the MOA or any other agreement with terms similar to the MOA.
Our petition was also in support of an earlier petition filed by North Cotabato Gov. More >
The President will be committing an impeachable offense
Aug 4th
I warn Malacanang not to sign the GRP-MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain. President Arroyo will be committing an impeachable offense since the agreement constitutes a gross violation of the 1987 Constitution.
No doubt, Presidential Adviser to the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon Jr and RP Panel Chair Rodolfo Garcia will be signing the agreement only upon the authority and orders of President Arroyo.
The MoA clearly violates the 1987 Constitution because it grants the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) a status of belligerency, which is a step closer to granting it international recognition as a separate and independent state. It will More >
