MORO NOTES

Samira Gutoc-Tomawis
June 15, 2009

Welcome to the millions of students who start the school year this June! But many
young people in conflict affected areas in Maguindanao cannot go to school. It is
heart-wrenching to see that while TV time airs about Hayden, Belo, Korina-Mar
wedding, Moro out-of-school kids or babies born in gyms and school-buildings
turned evacuation camps do not get any coverage at all.
***
It’s 70 plus days until Eidul Fitr, the biggest Islamic holiday, and Young Moro
Professional Network’s (YMPN) Ramadhan Fair is gearing to be at its biggest since it
started in 2006 to include an expo of Moro products at Mall of Asia, a show in
Greenhills, a forum in Intramuros. “If there’s a Christmas countdown and Xmas
celebrations, why can’t there be for Ramadhan as well?” said Baibon Sangid,
International Ramadhan Fair Chairperson and YMPN’s Convenor for History and
Culture.
***
Backchanneling seems to be the buzzword in the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines (GRP)-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on and off talks since 1997. An
OPAPP official brushes aside the pessimism that a Gloria presidency will not leave any
legacy in the peace talks after a failed signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on
Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) in August 2008 causing the current stalemate. Informal
efforts at convincing both sides to get back to treshing the other components of a
peace pact are underway. But from the sound of many MNLF leaders and lawyers, the
GRP-MILF track seems to going the same way of promises to a never-never land.
***
So much blame on government violating the spirit of peace agreements but are there
other reasons as well? Check what is happening on the ground, advised GRP Peace
Panel Chair and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, who visited the
evacuation centers in Maguindanao for the first time last June 6-8. Currently, the Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF) is supposedly implementing the 1996 GRP-MNLF
Peace Agreement under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)
which recognizes the MNLF as the Philippine Observer in this 57-nation member
body. Yet, ARMM remains the poorest region.
***
Pussycat Doll’s publicity song aired on MTV to promote their Philippine concert is by
Indian-Muslim AR Rahman who composed the upbeat lyrics entitled, JAI HO .
The Oscar-winning song won twice for the film, Slumdog Millionaire. Rahman becomes
the first Indian to win the coveted Oscars.
***
Islamic Development Bank (IDB) officials were supposedly visiting Mindanao recently
but secretly. According to an IDB partner, this is because many proposed projects have
been denied by them. Philippine budget in the major Islamic donor agency has
supposedly declined throughout the years. Does this have anything to do with the
management by natives and locals of the projects here?
***
H1N1 is a pandemic ! Straight from the mouth of the World Health Organization
(WHO) spokesperson. It has affected more than 70 countries. Basing on the last WHO
update as of June 12, 2009:

• 74 countries affected

• 29,669 laboratory-confirmed cases

• 145 deaths (out of no. of confirmed cases)

The virus is right here in Metro Manila with some 77 cases reported in the country.
***
Modern Maguindanao Music, a mix of pop tune and local dialect, has caught the
airwaves of residents in the Metro of this large province, thanks to young culture
advocates here who organized the 1st Maguindanao Music Festival.
***
Tableeghs in their simple robes will converge in Marawi City, Lanao Sur for an
international Korudz, a spiritual gathering. Tents have been set up near the Provincial
Capitol.
***
Congratulations to Cotabato City as it celebrates its Anniversary on June 30. Designer
Renee Salud showcases his inaul-accented gowns. Also to Lanao del Sur as it marks
its 50 Golden Years with signer Christian Bautista as guest . Lamitan , Basilan on June
27-29 will also celebrate its Day. Lanao, MAguindanao, Tawi-Tawi and General Santos
are featured on the current issue of the Philippine Airlines MABUHAY magazine.
***
40,000 jobs are open for ARMM residents. GRP legal panel member (for the GRP-
MNLF ) Joe Lorena updates that the economic component of the peace agreement is
being revived with a strong focus on BIMP-EAGA (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Phil. East
Asean Growth Area).
***
US President Barrack Obama is seeking to build bridges with the Middle East and his
predecessor Bush’ Axis of Evil members Iran and North Korea. TIME notes the “long
war”` between US and Iran to have rooted in the hostage crisis in 1979 in Iran, which
led US to cut diplomatic ties with Iran (Switzerland currently handles American interests
in Iran). By 2008, Tehran was on its way to building a nuclear weapon alarming US
diplomats. Obama’s special adviser to the Gulf, Dennis Ross, is tasked with
orchestrating a global effort to lure Iran to the table and persuade it to curtail its nuke
program. An Obama presidency could transform the Iranian image of America.
***
Many pundits have mixed views about the chances of opposition spokesperson now
Belo lawyer and president of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Adel Tamano getting
a senatorial seat,. If he succeeds, the feat would bring back a Muslim to the Senate for
the first time since Tamano and Rasul. Tamano in unofficial surveys in May has yet to
reach the 24th mark. Adel says he joined the Nacionalista Party (NP) because this was
the party of his father, Mamintal Tamano. Adel says he is aware that many Muslims are
critical of him being Erap’s spokesperson in the past because Erap led the all-out-war in
Lanao and Maguindanao in 2000. He hopes joining NP will swing the Muslims to his
side.
***
It’s been more than 5 months since the International Committee on Red Cross (ICRC)
remaining hostage Italian EUGENIO VAGNI, 62, has been in captivity in Sulu. The Abu
Sayyaf released the other hostages Filipina ICRC worker Jean Lacaba on April 2,
and Andreas Notter on April 18. According to Senator Gordon (Phil. National Red Cross
President), the promise by the Swiss main office of the ICRC is to give more projects to
Sulu. Is there any update on this? Will it take kidnappings to give more attention to far-
flung Sulu?

***
Technology is fast changing our way of lives. Twitter is front page on TIME. Mixing text
and net features, the mechanics of TWITTER involve users publishing tweets – 140
character messages – from a computer or mobile device – leading followers to know the
movement of their ka-tweet, being updated of their ka-tweets’ daily routines , tastes,
state of mind.
***
Picture this – can a Moro “electorate” combining Ampatuans’, Adiongs’,
Marawi’s, BASULTA’s (Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi) command vote make a
President? This 2 million plus vote could swing the tide to a closely contested race as
is usually the case for a 12th and 13th senatoriable.
***
Obama’s publicized speech in Cairo offers a “new beginning” in relations between the
US and the Muslim World, Newsweek notes. “It hit the right tone from the opening
salutation, Assalamualaikum, to the quote from the Qur’an at the end,” said Prince Saud
Al-Faisal, foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. “He talked about democracy – that the
United States wished the world to be democratic – but is not going to force the world to
be democratic. If he was looking for converts to his way of thinking, I think he achieved
it with the audience there, and with audiences everywhere in the Arab and Muslim
world.”
***
The Marawi home of Aleem Elias Macarandas of the Bishop Ulama Conference
was wracked with a small-time bomb last May 11. Even religious leaders are not spared
from security threats.