Federalism and failed autonomy

Autonomy for the Muslim ethnic peoples of Mindanao was the political solution to end the war for independence waged by the Moro National Liberation Front led by Prof. Nurullaji “Nur” Misuari. First granted under the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, laws were subsequently passed to enact the agreement on “genuine” autonomy in Tripoli. However, these laws have resulted in the weakening of the powers granted. Unhappiness with the grant of autonomy led to the rise of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (founded by the late Ustadz Salamat Hashim and now led by Chair Ebrahim Murad). This necessitated government to undergo a separate peace process with the MILF from the Ramos to the present administrations.

Autonomy, Federalism or Independence?

There are three main options espoused by Muslim leaders and intellectuals in response to the Bangsamoro people’s quest for self-determination: autonomy, federalism, and independence.

The Moros of Mindanao had fought for generations to preserve their sovereign sultanates from the time of the Spanish colonization to the grant of an independent Republic of the Philippines by the American colonial powers. The Moro wars for independence simmered under the new Republic, with Hadji Butu, prime minister of the Sulu Sultanate, agreeing to be the first Muslim Senator of the Republic.

Order of the Rising Sun

On Nov. 3, the Government of Japan announced the conferment of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun on Senator Franklin Drilon and Cesar Enrique Aguinaldo Virata, former Prime Minister of the Republic of the Philippines. This year, two out of the nine awardees are Filipinos, in recognition of their contributions to promoting friendly relations and developing economic cooperation between Japan and the Philippines. An honor indeed for our country.

Ups and downs

After the burning of Jolo, Sulu (Feb. 7, 1974) during the early years of Martial Law, my family lost everything we had back home. Only the cement staircase of our house remained to remind us of our idyllic life. A stairway to nowhere — a painful reminder that sometimes you are up, sometimes you are down. Today, even that is gone. Only a picture in my mind remains.

What’s going on?

That night, it was my turn to be agitated, pressured by Mini’s concerns and a rush of memories about the Martial Law days: curfews, bombings and hamletting of Muslim communities, fear of the military, friends disappearing forever or going to the hills, the demise of democracy. Slogans came back to me, such as “Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan.”