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Mindanao Split Bill Draws Fire
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"It will divide instead of unite our people," Governor Ampatuan told IOL.
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By
Rexcel Sorza, IOL Correspondent
MANILA,
April 10, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – A proposal presented to
parliament on dividing Mindanao, the birthplace of Islam in the
Philippines, has drew rebuke from the regional governor and Muslim
citizens.
"It
is opposed to what the people of Muslim Mindanao have dreamed of. It
will divide instead of unite our people," Governor Zaldy Ampatuan
told IslamOnline.net on Monday, April 10.
Muslim
MPs Gerry Salapuddin of Basilan province and Hussin Amin of Sulu
province introduced the bill to the House of Representatives, the
lower chamber of the Philippine Congress, in March.
The
proposal seeks to revive the Sultanate of Sulu, which once ruled the
southern corridor.
"The
long history of the people of the Sulu archipelago has left an
indelible mark in their culture and tradition. While they share the
same religion as the Maranaos, Maguindanaoans and other Muslims in
Mindanao, they are a people apart with their own tongues, customs,
traditions and ways of thinking," it reads.
If
pushed through and approved, the bill would slice away the provinces
of Sulu, Tawi-tawi and Basilan from the existing Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which is also made up of Lanao del Sur and
Maguindanao provinces and the Islamic City of Marawi.
The
mineral-rich southern region of Mindanao is home to about 5 million
Muslims.
No
Consultations
Governor
Ampatuan said consultations should have been made before submitting
the bill to include all sectors of the region.
"The
people of ARMM, the leaders of ARMM, the Organization of Islamic
Conference, and so on should have been asked about this before
hand," he told IOL.
"If
it is what the people wants, we will support it."
The
governor added that such a move runs counter to the spirit of the law
that created the region in August 1989, which aimed to provide Muslims
in Mindanao the freedom to live with their own set of laws based on
their faith.
The
region has been carved out of Mindanao to end years of unrest and
conflict that has ravaged the island in the 70's.
It
enjoys having its own executive and legislative departments.
Politics
Caosur
Zoudy, a resident of the region, said the bill appears to be motivated
by politics rather than by the desire to improve the lives of the
people.
"It
seems to me that the bill was raised so as to wrest control of our
region away from Gov. Ampatuan who was not supported by Salapuddin and
Amin in last year's polls," he told IOL.
"This
must all be politics."
Political
or not, Yusuf Karim, a college student, believes that the region's
leaders should focus on bringing basic social services to the people
instead of debating on splitting it or not.
"What
do we need right now? Will dividing our region make us have better
lives? Are we going to have food, clothing, shelter and
medicines?" Karim asks.
"This
will not be easy. The MILF is tackling the ancestral domain issue. We
still have to wait for the outcome of the negotiations.
"A
lot of players are involved here. We should not be busying ourselves
with this."
The
Manila government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have
signed several agreements on the ancestral domain in Mindanao - its
concept, territories and resources - and how the MILF shall govern
these places.
Ancestral
domain refers to the MILF demand for territory that will constitute a
Muslim homeland.
It
is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before
the MILF can reach a political settlement.
For
Hadji Najim, a father of two, "it would be too impractical for us
to go over this. How much will we spend for the plebiscite?"
He
believes the money should instead "be spent for rebuilding our
homes, for our livelihood.
"We
have been victimized by guns and bombs. I hope our leaders realize
that what we need is peace and prosperity, nothing else."
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