Temporary Restraining Order (TRO): Never Again!

Media Statement
August 4, 2009

Temporary Restraining Order (TRO): Never Again!

We, the undersigned representatives of civil society organizations and peace advocates in Mindanao, hereby express our grave concern over the recent remarks of Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol who threatens to cite the Government Peace Panel in contempt of the Supreme Court for its July 29 Joint Statement which mentioned in part the “acknowledgment of MOA-AD as an unsigned and yet initialed document, and commitment by both parties to reframe the consensus points with the end in view of moving towards the comprehensive compact to bring about a negotiated political settlement".

Pinol’s threat only reveals his own incorrigible stand to oppose whatever efforts to resume the talks and resolve the armed conflict in Mindanao through peaceful means. And to claim that the people of Cotabato are behind him in this stance is a clear misrepresentation of the real sentiments of the people. We can only say that the real sentiments of the people of Cotabato will come out quite clearly and strongly when they cast their votes in 2010. And we call on all peace-loving people of Cotabato and Mindanao to never ever allow this type of leader to continue to stay in public office.

No less than the Supreme Court said its October 14, 2008 decision that the "MOA-AD is a significant part of a series of agreements necessary to carry out the GRP-MILF Tripoli Agreement on Peace signed by the government and the MILF back in June 2001. Hence, the present MOA-AD can be renegotiated or another one drawn up that could contain similar or significantly dissimilar provisions compared to the original". Said decision has never suggested that the peace panels could not talk about Ancestral Domain anymore. How can one ever restrain the peace panels from talking about the root causes of the armed conflict -- the displacement and marginalization of the Moro and Indigenous Peoples from their own ancestral domain due to colonization and resettlement program that favored the settlers from Visayas and Luzon.

This is aggravated by the insatiable greed of the elite who up to now continues to encroach upon whatever is left of the traditional territories of the indigenous and bangsamoro peoples. One need only look at the vast tracts of banana and oil palm plantations in Central Mindanao to question how did this few big families manage to acquire thousands upon thousands hectares .

No less than Governor Jesus Sacdalan stressed during the State of the Bakwit Address (SOBA) last July 23, 2009 in Cotabato City that 99 percent of his constituents are supportive of the peace process. Would that mean the remaining one percent represents Pinol?

At the core the Mindanao problem is the highly skewed distribution of ownership and control over land – brought about since the early 1900s by a series of state-directed land development policies that effectively “minoritized” and impoverished the original indigenous communities, including the Bangsamoro. Landgrabbing and illegal encroachment are the primary drivers of the conflict in Mindanao that resulted to deprivation, disenfranchisement, injustice, and poverty.

We therefore pose these questions to Vice Governor Piñol: if you truly desire true and lasting peace, why question then the lawful demands of the Bangsamoro to legally claim what is theirs through the MOA-AD? Does Vice Governor Piñol even concern himself with the fears, the rift, the divisions and the violence that his Temporary Restraining Order against the MOA-AD are bringing upon the people of the country, especially among us living in the Southern Philippines?

Political maneuvers over land control in the guise of beliefs in national patrimony work against the fundamental solution to the Mindanao conflict. Let us prevent any attempt to destroy the gains of the peace process especially now that the doors to peace of the GRP and MILF are reopened. The peace panels are on their way to rebuilding a new and credible peace and don’t deserve being sabotaged by the brazen and irresponsible remarks of politicians who mean to economically and politically gain from conflicts and violence.(30)

SIGNED:

1. Mindanao Peoples Caucus
2. United Youth for Peace and Development
3. Mindanao Migrants Center for Empowering Actions
4. Mindanao ComStrat and Policy Alternatives
5. Bangsamoro Youth Assembly
6. Bangsamoro Youth Leaders Forum
7. AnakTribu
8. Bukidnon Indigenous Youth of the Seven Tribes
9. Mindanao Peace Partners
10. Sir Patricio P. Diaz, Mindanews Columnist, Journalist
11. Al-Ihsan Foundation
12. Bangsamoro Center for Justpeace
13. Kadtuntaya Foundation, Inc.
14. Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society
15. Moro Women Cultural and Development Center
16. Cotabato Center for Peace and Development Initiative
17. Moro Law Center
18. Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society --Kutawato Regional Management Committee
19. IQRAA
20. The Nation of Freedom
21. Young Ranao
22. Youth for Knowledge-based Society
23. Free the Bangsamoro Movement
24. Southpil Agr-Industrial Corporation
25. Learned Kagad Muslim Foundation, Inc.
26. Organization of Teduray and Lambangian Conference
27. MNLF Arakan Cooperative
28. Mahad Cooperative, Pikit
29. Suara Kalilintad
30. Alliance of Progressive Labor
31. BARRIOS, Incorporated
32. Federation of Matigsalug and Manobo Council of Tribal Leaders
33. Mindanao Farmers Development Center
34. Bill Martin, Akbayan-Davao
35. Daguiwaas Clan
36. Apo Agbibilin Community, Incorporated
37. Panicupan Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative
38. Children and Youth Communication Task Force
39. Panicupan Multi-Purpose Cooperative
40. Sheilfa Alojamiento, Writer
41. Bangsamoro Successor's Generation Network
42. MARADECA
43. Organization of Teduray and Lambangian Conference
44. Assembly of Moro Entrepreneurs
45. Jan Frances Lozano