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Press Statement
4 August 2008
For Reference: Rep. Satur C. Ocampo, 0917-8226184
On the GRP-MILF Ancestral Domain Agreement
The forthcoming signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain
by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) negotiating panels in Malaysia tomorrow is
a step forward in the GRP-MILF peace negotiations, particularly in
recognizing the legitimacy of the Moro people's claim to their ancestral
domain.
The GRP and MILF have requested my attendance in the signing. I will join
the activity as a peace advocate and friend of the Moro people.
Bayan Muna has no illusions on the sincerity and determination of the
Macapagal-Arroyo administration to fulfill the aspiration of the Moro
people for self determination. The GRP's continuing insistence on
interpreting and implementing any agreement within the framework of the
Philippine Constitution alone immediately undermines the peace process and
the right of the Moro people to self-determination.
The 1976 Tripoli Agreement and the 1996 Final Peace Accord between the GRP
and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), as well as the current
stalled talks between the GRP and the National Democratic Front of the
Philippines (NDFP) betray the GRP's policy of pacification through
cooptation and capitulation instead of addressing the root causes of
oppression, poverty and social injustice through peace negotiations.
We will oppose any move to use the GRP-MILF pact to pave the way for
charter change that will perpetuate Mrs. Arroyo's continued stay in power
beyond 2010 and remove the remaining nationalist and protectionist
provisions of the Constitution.
We are concerned that US and other foreign powers have exerted undue
influence on the peace negotiations in order to promote their economic and
political interests in the region. US and foreign corporate and military
entities desire to continue using and exploiting Mindanao for their own
ends and at the expense of the Moro people. The continued presence of US
troops especially in Mindanao and aggressive operations of foreign mining
companies which are driving away indigenous and Moro peoples from their
lands should be an issue of concern for the Moro people.
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