While everybody was busy moving heaven and earth to prevent Justice Alberto Agra from clearing Zaldy Ampatuan, former governor of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao, and his uncle Akmad of complicity in the Nov 23, 2009 massacre in Maguindanao, the government panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Muslim rebel group are moving towards signing agreement that officials say would lead to peace in Mindanao but others are concerned could spark another round of war.
Are the two issues connected? After all, didn’t the government arm and coddle the Ampatuans as vigilantes against the MILF?
We hope Agra’s shocking decision of exonerating the two Ampatuans from the crime so shocking it earned for the Philippines the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous country for journalists was not meant to make us too pre-occupied that they would be able to finally sign an agreement that would result in the dismemberment of the country.
In a 10-paragraph joint statement that Ambassador Rafael Seguis, chair of the Philippine government panel and Mohagher Iqbal, MILF panel chair at the conclusion of the 18th round of exploratory talks last Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, there’s a one sentence that is causing a lot of concern to many who are worried that Arroyo would try again what she failed to do last year with the MOA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement- Ancestral Domain), which is to create a Bangsamoro state within the Philippine state.
