Responding to the urgent calls for action relative to the renewed conflict in Sulu, the Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement (MPPM), sent an eleven-person Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Mission to Sulu (MPPM-Sulu) from December 19 to 26, 2005. MPPM is a tri-people, grassroots or community-based alliance and coalition of human rights and peace groups as well as non-government and peoples’ organizations, churches, schools and other institutions committed to the pursuit of genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao, Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan (MinSuBaTaPa).
MPPM-Sulu interviewed key people and visited offices in Zamboanga City on December 19 to 20, 2005. From December 21-24, 2005, the Mission was in Jolo and Indanan where it facilitated relief distribution, courtesy of Congressman Mujiv Hataman of AMIN Party List, a member of MPPM, through the kind help of Mindanao State University-Sulu and the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development. The Mission also interviewed, and held discussions with residents of communities affected by the conflict as well as met with public officials, the military, church people, civil society and the MNLF in Sulu. We also met with the Public Information Unit, Southern Command in Zamboanga City on December 25 and with a member of the Peace Advocates of Zamboanga on December 26, 2005.
The purpose of the Mission is to help bring about a just end to the conflict in Sulu and to recommend ways of building peace in Mindanao, Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan or MinSuBaTaPa. Our activities focused on achieving our specific objectives to wit: At the end of the Mission, we should have initially: (1) assessed the extent of the damage to families and communities in the areas affected by the recent armed conflict in Sulu in November 2005; (2) discovered evidences of alleged violations of human rights before and during the conduct of the military operations; (3) discussed how the conflict began and what might be its root causes; and finally (4) formed an MPPM Organizing Group in Sulu.
Our major findings are the following:
1. That the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was sufficiently made aware of the presence of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forces in the area the AFP troops were intending to pass on November 11, 2005 (Mt. Tumantangis in Indanan) allegedly in pursuit of elements of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) thus igniting the current conflict. Mt. Tumantangis, in fact, is known to be the base camp of the MNLF State Chairman Khaed Ajibon;
2. That on the first day of the Week of Peace in Mindanao on November 24, while Brig. Gen. Alexander Aleo, Head of Task Force Comet, was addressing the participants in the Municipal Hall Plaza, four planes were seen dropping bombs in the general direction of Bwansa, Indanan, Sulu;
3. That the terms Misuari Breakaway Group (MBG) or Misuari Renegade Group (MRG) were coined either by the AFP or the media to refer to those the military have been fighting with in February and in November. It is a common knowledge among the people we interviewed that these so called MBG or MRG elements are, in fact, mujahideens of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Thus the current conflict is a flagrant violation of the Final Peace Agreement signed between the MNLF and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP);
4. That while confirming the presence of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu, the MNLF as well as ordinary citizens and public officials condemn the Abu Sayyaf’s criminal activities;
5. That the people complain of lootings done by the military in the affected communities during military operations and that civilians have been fired at by helicopter gunships;
6. That there are American troops in Sulu engaged in “Bayanihan” or civil-military relations to conduct medical mission, install water utility infrastructures, painting and repair of schools, construction of roads and repair of bridges and that they are there upon the request of the Philippine government according to Major Jim Maxwell, but the citizens however are not aware of the purpose of the presence of the Americans;
7. That Balikatan will be staged in Sulu in 2006 according to Major Maxwell; the people, however, are opposed to it just as they vehemently opposed an earlier attempt to have the same exercises in Sulu;
8. That the current armed conflicts have caused the loss of many lives from the government troops, the MNLF combatants and the wounding and the deaths of some civilians;
9. That there is no mechanism for the systematic and effective investigation of human rights violations in Sulu;
10. That peoples’ security is paramount and we note with grave concern the massive internal displacement of people and consequent insecurity among affected villagers caused by the February and November armed conflicts. Up to now evacuees have not returned to their former places. In fact, an entire barangay (Kagay), whose Barangay Chairman we spoke with, has not been able to return to their homes close to eleven months after the February conflict;
11. That concerned leaders of Sulu say that elections in Sulu for the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is a mere formality because the real decisions are made by Malacanang through the use of the Commission on Election (COMELEC), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP);
12. That there is suspicion on the part of the military leadership on the motivations of concerned citizens; Inversely, there is a deepening mistrust among civilians of the military in Sulu and that the majority would like the military pulled out of Sulu; and finally
13. That there is a strong citizens’ movement in Sulu capable of working with the local government units, the police and the military, if necessary, in building a peaceful, orderly and progressive society in Sulu as manifested during the Community Dialogue with the Military initiated by MPPM in Notre Dame of Jolo College on December 24, 2005.
Our recommendations are grouped into three: short term (12 months or 1 year), medium-term (2 to 3 years), and long-term (4 to 7 years).
A. Our short-term recommendations which should be implemented within the next twelve months include the following:
1. We support the call of the Concerned Citizens of Sulu for a three to six month truce to enable concerned groups and local government units to render relief and rehabilitation assistance to displaced families and communities. It may even be best to declare the whole year of 2006 as a Year of Peace in Sulu. During the truce, we call on the civil society and the government to appreciate, study and evaluate the peace accord of September 2, 1996 and its implementation;
2. We call for the immediate release of Chairman Nur Misuari, former Governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) should be released immediately for legal and humanitarian reasons. His legal counsels have already filed a motion for the dismissal of the case pursuant to section 13, of RA 8493, which provides for the release of the accused if his case is not brought to trial within a specified period. Chairman Nur Misuari is sickly and has suffered long enough for a crime he may have been falsely accused of;
3. We call for the immediate formation of a Tripartite Monitoring Committee to be composed of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and representatives of the GRP and MNLF to review and evaluate the implementation of the provisions of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement. We also request the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation headed by H.E. Former President Fidel V. Ramos to follow up this matter with the appropriate authorities. This is urgent in view of the fact that most of the grievances of the MNLF center on the non-implementation by the GRP of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement. We further recommend that a body be created to deal with violations of the peace accord;
4. We recommend the scrapping of the provisions of RA 9054 that contravene the 1996 Final Peace Agreement and ensure the incorporation of all the pertinent provisions of the accord in a new law consistent with the Bangsamoro peoples’ aspiration for self-determination;
5. We support the request of civil society for confidence building measures and conflict resolution processes to be established between the GRP and the MNLF and that healing and reconciliation be given utmost attention;
6. We stand in solidarity with the Bangsamoro peoples’ right to self determination and to decide for themselves their political future freely;
7. We call on media and the military to stop referring to the MNLF in Sulu as the Misuari Breakaway Group (MBG) or the Misuari Renegade Group (MRG). There is only one MNLF under the leadership of Chairman Nur Misuari. There are also unity talks especially between the MNLF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF);
8. We support the call of the citizens of Sulu for the military to be confined to their barracks while preparations are made for their gradual reduction and eventual pullout and that the MNLF should refrain from provocative activities;
9. We request the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) to pay special attention to the conflict in Sulu. The dire consequences of a greater war to affect all of Mindanao, Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan would be unimaginable;
10. We support the intensification of the efforts of the Sulu Peace Working Group initiated by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD) of Geneva, Switzerland and call on the national and local government and all sectors of society in Sulu to rally behind CHD;
11. We call on various government bodies, civil society, and the Red Cross to continue providing emergency relief and rehabilitation of affected communities;
12. We demand the immediate pullout of the Americans in Sulu no matter how laudable their intensions might be. Their presence is a provocative act considering the commemoration of the centennial of the Bud Dajo massacre (March 6, 1906) where more than 1000 men, women, and children of Sulu died in the hands of American soldiers;
13. We ask the Commission on Human Rights to set up a working office in Sulu in order to investigate and help prosecute violators of human rights;
14. We request the GRP to increase the capacity of the local government units to solve the problems of communities here in Sulu; and finally
15. We commend the courageous citizens of Sulu in their persistent efforts to bring about a just, peaceful and prosperous society in Sulu despite tremendous odds and difficulties.
B. Prevent the occurrence of a new war in Sulu by the gradual reduction and the eventual pulling out of the entire AFP contingent in Sulu within two to three years and at the same time further enhancing the capacity of the Sulu Philippine National Police (PNP).
While some people appreciate the contribution of the military in responding to the problems of the people in Sulu, a great many desire the immediate pullout of the entire AFP contingent in Sulu in order to prevent the breaking out of new hostilities between the GRP and the MNLF that have caused havoc and destruction of properties and massive displacements of families and communities and especially the loss of lives on both sides of the warring camps. We, therefore, call for the gradual reduction and the eventual pullout of the entire AFP contingent in Sulu within two to three years. With equal force we also call for the following immediate actions to be taken:
1. The further professionalization of the Philippine National Police forces in Sulu so that they are better prepared to deal with feuding political leaders and to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf Group and/or other criminal elements;
2. That Congress, in aid of legislation, or at least the National Police Commission should investigate the alleged practice of huge pay-offs given by applicants or sponsors of applicants to police authorities to be assured of admission to the Philippine National Police;
3. That the assignment of the police be reviewed to the end that the loyalty of the police is not to their kin or their political masters but to the citizens and to serve the ends of justice for all.
In the meantime, the GRP should involve the AFP in education and production work. However, if the GRP insists on keeping the AFP in Sulu, the GRP should replace them with Muslims and MNLF forces that have been integrated into the AFP;
While making preparations for the eventual pullout of the military, the GRP should facilitate the conduct of intensive formal and informal education on international human rights and humanitarian law for the military and involve them in productive infrastructure and development work. Should the GRP insist on the presence of the military in Sulu, they should be replaced by Muslims and MNLF forces that have been integrated into the AFP, who are well-versed on the history and culture of the Bangsamoro people. They should also be placed under the command of the highest-ranking and the best trained Muslim and/or former MNLF officer-integree in the AFP;
C. Our long-term recommendation has to do with addressing directly the root of the present predicament in Sulu/Tawi-Tawi and Basilan and the other Bangsamoro Areas in Mindanao and Palawan, i.e. the question of the right to self-determination of the Bangsamoro.
Centuries before the coming of the Spaniards, the Bangsamoro enjoyed political independence through the Sultanate of Maguindanao and the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo that conducted diplomatic relations with China and other nations. The Bangsamoro zealously and valiantly defended their independence under the two Bangsamoro Sultanates during the Spanish colonial period. But Mindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi as well as Basilan were illegally ceded by Spain to the United States of America under the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. While the Bangsamoro gallantly resisted American rule in the beginning, they became gradually absorbed by the colonial Philippine state. Nevertheless, through various armed and legal opposition, they manifested their distaste for Philippine rule. The Bangsamoro leaders through the “Petition to the President of the United States of America from the People of the Sulu Archipelago, in Jolo, Province of Sulu” on June 9, 1921and “A Declaration of Rights and Purposes Addressed to the Congress of the United States of America, in Zamboanga” on February 1, 1924 even preferred to be part of the United States of America than of the Philippines. Moros in Zamboanga demonstrated in 1926 against their inclusion in the possible grant of independence to the Filipinos. What is clear in the Zamboanga Declaration of 1924 is that they wanted to have a plebiscite in the unorganized territory of the United States of America (meaning, Mindanao and Sulu) 50 years after the grant of independence to the rest of the Philippine Islands in order to decide by vote whether to continue to be part of Luzon and Visayas, remain an unorganized territory of the United States of America, or to become independent. Upon learning about the impending grant of independence to the Philippines, the Moro leaders through the historic Dansalan Declaration of March 18, 1935 registered their objection to the United States of America through the Governor General against the inclusion of Mindanao and Sulu in the grant of Philippine Independence.
It is for this reason that the Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement (MPPM) takes the view that the strategic solution to the Bangsamoro question/problem is to address the historical injustice foisted upon the Bangsamoro when they were annexed to the Philippines without their plebiscitary consent. MPPM, therefore, has been proposing since December 2002 the conduct of a United Nations-Managed Referendum to settle once and for all the issue of whether the Bangsamoro would like to remain with the Philippines or become an independent state. We, therefore, reiterate the MPPM’s call for the holding of a United Nations-Managed Referendum on Political Options in the Bangsamoro Areas of Mindanao and Palawan and the Entire Island Provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi four to seven years from 2006 (the tenth year of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the GRP and the MNLF) to enable the Bangsamoro to decide whether to remain with the Philippines either as an Autonomous Region (enhanced or expanded), or become a federal state within a federal Philippines, or separate entirely from the Philippines and become an independent Bangsamoro State.
We thank the following for their most valued assistance during our visit to Sulu: the Mindanao State University-Sulu under Chancellor Asjada I. Kiram and especially Ms. Jane Dianasas for providing housing and hospitality; Toni and Juni of MSU for driving, to MSU students Jade, Jessa, Kis, Bas, Ali and Ethel and Wariza from NDJC for joining us in our meetings and interviews; Bros. Idris Sangcopan, Harun, Gin, and Jas of Anak Mindanao for hosting the MPPM-Sulu, the Hon. Mayor of Indanan, Salip Aloy Jainal for facilitating our visits to Bwansa, to Prof. Octavio Dinampo of MSU for accompanying us in our visits to the Mayor of Indanan and the communities, the Barangay Captains of Bwansa and Kagay for facilitating our meetings with residents of affected communities, the Department of Social Welfare and Development for their invaluable assistance in the relief distribution, the Concerned Citizens of Sulu headed by Atty. Ulka Ulama, Former MSU Chancellor Samsula Adju and Councilor Cocoy Tulawie, Brig. Gen. Alexander Aleo of Task Force Comet and Brig. Gen. Pajarito of the 104th Brigade, Mr. Amardeep Rai of the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Governor’s Office, Sulu State College President Dr. Hamsali Jawali and Bishop Lampon, Fr. Noel, Carmen and Fr. Romeo Villanueva of the Notre Dame of Jolo College for the many fruitful dialogues, and the citizens of Sulu who have been very generous with their time and talent to ensure the success of the Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Mission to Sulu (MPPM-Sulu). We also thank Major Gamal S. Hayudini and Sr. Genevieve Damaso for giving time to listen and to discuss the recommendations of the MPPM-Sulu delegation.
The MPPM-Sulu Team composition: Mission Group Leader, Alvaro O. Senturias, Jr., Chair, Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement (MPPM); Amabella L. Carumba, Secretary-General, MPPM; Dr. Elma M. Neyra, Vice-President, Southern Christian College (SCC), (representing the Vice Chair for Mindanao Migrants Dr. Jacinta T. Pueyo); Habbas Camendan, Vice-Chair for the Bangsamoro, MPPM; Jerry Tomaring, (representing the Vice-Chair for the Katawhang Lumad Fulong Pet Moranos); Allan Pisingan, Deputy Secretary-General, MPPM; Jimmy Y. Adil, Member, Council of Peoples’ Representatives (CPR), MPPM; D Victoria F D. Bat-og, Director, Center for Media and the Arts, SCC and Chair, Media Relations Group, MPPM; Sunnie Jumuad, Tri-People Organization Against Disasters (TRIPOD); Mario Ellica, SCC Student, and Dr. Erlinda N. Senturias, President, Southern Christian College (SCC).