The Gov't-MILF Peace Agreement, Crab Mentality & The Group Called Lobster Inc.
The Aquino Administration is going to sign in the Palace today the "framework" for a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which will hopefully end the more than 40 years war in Mindanao that resulted in the deaths of about 150,000 people; and kept that part of the country poor.
While we too support the signing of the peace agreement and would like it to work, we would like to admonish people against giving too much hope on it because the "Framework Agreement" is no magic pill with "super-fast" effect. It is no Ponstan!
Technical, the agreement is a just an initial deal between the government led by President Aquino and the MILF where both sides commit to create a transition commission that will draft an enabling law creating the Bangsamoro, the new entity that will replace the corrupt, incompetent and useless Autonomous Region in Muslims Mindanao (ARMM).
The transition commission will hold consultations with people in Mindanao and all stakeholders before drafting a law creating the Bangsamoro, in effect repealing the existing Republic Act No. 6734 or the Organic Act, which created the ARMM.
Once Congress approves the enabling law, it will be ratified by Bangsamoro residents through a plebiscite.
The proposed law will have Isabela City in Basilan, Cotabato City, six municipalities in Lanao del Norte, and some villages in North Cotabato -- in addition to the five provinces in ARMM, namely Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi – as part of the Bangsamoro entity.
But take note, all of this will still happen in 2015, a year before President Aquino steps down from office. A lot can still happen in three years. At present, you have former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Chair Nur Misuari threatening to go to war because he said the new deal violates the provisions of the past Government-MNLF agreement which eventually led to the creation of the ARMM.
Misuari also complains about his group being left out of the negotiations (Pls read ). Talk about crab mentality and cry babies!
And my point here really here is make clear to everyone who loves and cares for Mindanao and wants super-fast action there to take the initiatives themselves and not to wait for the government or any peace agreement to make it happen. There is no such thing as magic for hungry stomachs and hungry minds.
And this is just exactly what a group "Lobster Inc." – which is made up of successful young professionals – did when they decided to donate a new computer and a computer work station and books to the Kristiyano-Islam Peace Library (Kris) chapter in Quezon City; and gave foods to more than Kris 20 scholars (we have more than 100 scholars spread all over the country).
"We chipped in for this computer because we simply want to help and make a difference in the lives of people around us," said Auggie Cadua, an executive of Manny Pangilinan's MediaQuest, which owns Channel 5.
Auggie also earlier made a personal donation for the establishment of the Kris Library in Rodriguez, Rizal. The project to put up a library in a resettlement area for victims of Typhoon Ondoy was undertaken in cooperation with the Claretian Urban Poor Apostolate and the Kapatirang Claretiano Inc. (KCI), a group of former Claretian priests and seminarians which Auggie co-founded and once headed as KCI president.
Lobster Inc, which is also made up of doctors, dentists, media persons, school deans, bank managers etc, include Sonny Adagdag, Jayfree Salazar, Dean Allen Crispin, Roger Villareal, Rod Villanueva, Noel Monreal, CJ Hernandez, Byron Ramos, Jonathan Tiongson, Dexter Corea, Christopher Oprin, Mike Guttierrez, Philip Atengco, Peachy Malolos, Marlon Agcoili and Chris Almocera.
Auggie said they will be coming back to donate one more computer and used shelves for the books.
Thanks guys for making change happen instead of waiting for change to happen. Lobster Inc. rocks! Rock Lobster!