The whole Filipino nation is happy in the thought that, at long last, an agreement on a framework for peace in Muslim Mindanao has been signed by the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
I think there is nothing to worry about the agreement. I agree with the respected Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile: The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro is a big improvement on the Tripoli Agreement, which created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and on the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).
It is hoped that all Muslim communities will support the agreement so that peace and prosperity will envelop the region. This early, a foreign investor, the Malaysian Felda Global Venture, the largest palm oil producer in the world, has expressed its desire to invest in the Philippines. The firm is eyeing the Mindanao region for large quantities of palm oil supply. Maybe, this signals a more vibrant economy and growth not only for Mindanao but also for the whole Philippines.
According to the government’s chief negotiator in the Philippine government-MILF peace talks, engaging in peace talk is cheaper than waging a war. Peace is still the best answer to the many problems confronting Mindanao. “The peace deal outweighs the risks,” thus a recent news quote expressed in words the significance of the recent agreement.
The N-Peace Network, an Asia-based multi-country network of peace advocates, also honored Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita “Ging” Deles as one of its “Role Models for Peace in 2012.” This shows that the Philippines is one of those countries really committed and dedicated to allow peace to flourish in this lifetime, and even beyond.—VELDA B. JAMIN, velda.jamin@yahoo.com