RIYADH: Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Kingdom said they felt “inspired” by the signing ceremony on Oct. 15 of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro region in the south of the Philippines, between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
One of them was Anas Hussein Datu, a four-year-old child born in Saudi Arabia who participated in a picture-taking session here by Tugaya International Foundation (TIF). They were wearing yellow T-shirts with the words, “We Bangsamoro support the Framework Agreement,” printed on them. Anas and other children also carried a banner that said, “We the Tugayan International Foundation heartily and strongly welcome and support the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro sub-state.”
The group’s elder adviser Rasol Abbas said, “I am really inspired to see peace taking place wherever and whoever benefits from it.”
He added: “I am much inspired by the 57 members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the UN, US, UK, Australia, Japan and many others who have already expressed their support for the Framework Agreement.
“When the MNLF inked the first peace agreement in 1996, we expressed our strong support in favor of that peace,” Abbas said, referring to the agreement signed between the Moro National Liberation Front of Nur Misuari and the Ramos government. Abbas appealed to fellow OFWs to give peace a chance regardless of whoever made it possible. Since they have done their duty, we are also obliged to do so as responsible citizens, he observed.
The MILF, which broke away with the MNLF in 1977 over policy and tactical differences, opted to negotiate another peace treaty, saying the 1996 pact was half-baked.
Sohayle Pasandalan, TIF’s president, said the new development underlines the sincerity of the national government and also the MILF through the creation of the Bangsamoro autonomous political entity. It will lead to the dawn of a new era in Mindanao in the form of lasting peace, security and development for the benefit of all of Filipinos.
He said, “We just hope and pray that those evil-minded out there and war-loving individuals will not be successful in blocking its final signing and further implementation.”
The World Bank on Monday said that it “stands ready to work with the Government, MILF, and other sectors of the Philippine society to intensify our efforts to improve the lives of many Filipinos, particularly the poor in Mindanao, and help build the momentum for lasting peace and inclusive growth.”
US Press Secretary Jay Carney welcomed the signing of the pact, saying that the “United States will continue to work with the international community, regional stakeholders, and the people of the Philippines to promote transparency, governance, economic growth, and development to achieve a better future.”
UK Chargé d‘Affaires Trevor Lewis, who witnessed the signing ceremony, congratulated the Philippine government and the MILF panels, saying that the messages of support for the agreement “underline the widespread commitment to a more peaceful and prosperous future.”
“The road to full implementation will not be without difficulty. But the strong levels of support the Agreement has attracted will help the process get off to the best possible start,” Lewis added.
Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Christopher Thornley also commended “the diligent efforts of all sides, particularly the government of the Philippines, to bring the dawning of a new era of opportunities for the people of Mindanao, the people of the Philippines, and partners in the surrounding region.”
In his speech during the signing ceremony, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak vowed to help both parties in the implementation of the agreement. “I give my assurance to all the people of the Philippines – we will stand with you to make this agreement work,” Razak said.
“As we look forward to a new era of stability and prosperity in Southern Philippines, Malaysia is ready to help as a partner for peace. We are willing to offer training and education, so that the children of Bangsamoro can aspire to a future that their parents could not,” the prime minister added.
“We are willing to help build institutions so that the society that grows in Bangsamoro is stronger than what went before. We are willing to help in land development so that farmers in Bangsamoro who were former freedom fighters can reap the harvest of peace.”
Some divergent voices disagree with the term Bangsamoro that refers to the Muslims in the Philippines because of the historical background of the name.
“The Spaniards gave to these Malayan Mohammedans the name of Moros and with the name brought much of their hereditary hatred for the Barbaric Moors or Moros, who for seven hundred years had held the most fertile spots of Spain,” said the 1st Lt. William E. McKinley, Ninth US Cavalry in his 1903 written report to Gen. George W. Davis of the US Military Command in the Philippines.
