Reprinted from The Common Good, no 6, Advent 1997
MindanaoÑIsland of Promise?
Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippines. It has a population of around 18 million people and covers an area of some 300,000 sq km. It is an island rich in natural resources. By the 13th century Mindanao and Sulu were flourishing trade centres for southeast Asia. Islam was introduced and the majority of people converted without resistance. The political and economic system was feudalistic. From the 16th century the Spanish attempted to colonise the Philippines, including Mindanao, with the cross and the sword. Tribal peoples (those who had not converted to Islam) fled to the mountains. Using divide and rule tactics, the Spanish pitted Christians against Muslims (Moro) and tribal people, resulting in disruption of southern trade and a disintegration of the economy.
Over the years massive landgrabbing and systematic demolitions have left thousands homeless and created 600,000 internal refugees due to militarization. Mindanao is the most militarized region in the whole of ASEAN.
In 1898 the Americans purchased the Philippines from the Spanish for $20 million and exerted economic, political, and cultural colonisation. The population of Mindanao at the time was around 700,000. A genocidal war was carried out against the Moro people in the South, and a scheme developed to open up and cultivate vast areas of undeveloped land through resettlement programmes. Christians from Luzon and the Visayas were offered incentives to migrate south. In 1913 Moro people composed 98% of the population of Mindanao. Today they comprise 30% and own less than 17% of the land. Over the years massive landgrabbing and systematic demolitions have left thousands homeless and created 600,000 internal refugees due to militarization. Mindanao is the most militarized region in the whole of ASEAN.
Moro National Liberation Front
In the 1970Õs disaffected Moro, under the banner of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNSL) started a jihad (endeavour-strive-struggle) in Mindanao against government attempts to reclaim some portions of southern MindanaoÑan area referred to as the Bangsa Moro (Homeland of Moro People). The jihad was a call that motivated many young Muslims to take up arms, ready to fight and to die. A bloody war ensued and terrible atrocities were committed by both Muslim and Christian. In the midst of this period, President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law.
The oil crisis of the early 1970s and the consequent threat to the Philippines and particularly Mindanao, provoked the government, the MNLF, and the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) to negotiate an end to the war. The Tripoli Agreement, signed in 1976, heralded an end to the war, and allowed for the establishment of an Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which would comprise 13 provinces and nine cities, and all towns and villages in between. However, the government added a rider Ð this would be subject to a referendum in the designated areas. Fourteen years later, under the presidency of Cory Aquino, this referendum took place, and only three provinces elected to be part of the proposed Autonomous Region Ð these provinces being those areas which had a majority of Moro people. Christians voted against the proposal.
The MNLF under the leadership of Nur Misuari (former Professor of Political Science at the University of the Philippines), refused to recognise the legitimacy of the ARMM since it did not honour the Tripoli Agreement. They continued to struggle through armed conflict and guerrilla warfare.
In the meantime, more radical and fundamentalist Islamic movements developed and broke away from the MNLF, most notably the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and more recently the Abu Sayyaff.
When Fidel Ramos was elected President he immediately set in motion a dramatic plan for the so-called Ôeconomic recoveryÕ of the country under the banner of ÔPhilippines 2000.Õ Critical to this plan is resource-rich Mindanao and the development of the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines Ð East Asian Growth Area). Since Mindanao is the gateway to this area, equally critical is the political security since kidnappings, bombings, killings and massacres are rampant. Very quickly into his term as President, Ramos initiated peace talks with the MNLF. After four rounds of talks and eight mixed committees meeting with the support of the OIC, a deal was finally reached in October 1996. As a result, the MNLF is now integrated into main stream Philippine politics. Professor Nur Misuari, former rebel leader, has been elected (uncontested) as the Governor of ARMM, and the government has established the Southern Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) which allows for the incorporation of a large percentage of the troops of the MNLF into the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is also set to secure the economic development of the 13 former provinces (now 14) and nine cities (now 10) cited in the Tripoli Agreement. A plebiscite concerning the incorporation of the entire area into ARMM will be held in two years.
The MNLFÕs 24-year struggle against Manila appears to have ended. The treaty, initially signed in 1996, despite stresses and strains, has held firm.
The setting up of the SPCPD has provoked anger and fierce opposition from Christians who fear a Moro takeover, especially in areas that are predominantly Christian. Some groups are arming and training of war. Many Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have adopted a very critical stance towards the SPCPD because of the model of development that is proposed and the effect this will have on the poor. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has refused to recognise the agreement reached between the government and the MNLF because it does not honour the Tripoli Agreement.
However, in early January 1997 exploratory talks commenced between the government and the MILF. The MILF, with regular armed troops numbering between 120,000 and 130,000, is demanding the resolution of the Bangsa Moro problem. In Islam there is no separation of Church and State. ÔNo Muslim would deviate from the teachings of the QurÕanÉ all communities have systems of governance patterned to it.Õ (MILF Spokesperson, Al Haj Murad, Vice-Chair for Military Affairs).
For several months Notre Dame University has been hosting the peace talks between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. Father Mercado, President of Notre Dame University, and held in very high regard by the Muslim people of Mindanao, is a member of the negotiating panel.
By mid September the parties were ready to sign a peace agreement. So far it has held. New hope has arrived. The MNLFÕs 24-year struggle against Manila appears to have ended. The treaty, initially signed in 1996, despite stresses and strains, has held firm. Investment is starting to flow back into the island. The prospects for lasting peace look better now than ever. But the ravages of war have left incredible scars on the people and the land. The work of reconstruction is just beginning. It will be a long haul back. The prayers of all New Zealanders will be needed if the peace is to be a just and lasting one.