Prof. Nur Misuari envisioned the consolidation of the willpower, strength, wherewithal and unity of all Mindanaoans—Muslims, Christians and Highlanders.

CHAIRMAN MISUARI’S PEACE AGENDA FOR MINDANAO

Since the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines on July 4, 1946, to put it correctly from historical perspective, up to the new millennium, there were no serious and unified efforts to champion the great leap forward of Mindanao for it to be at par with other regions in the country. Socioeconomic development and empowered participation in nation-building seemed to be the privilege of the  Filipinos of Luzon and Visayas only. More so, the constitutional security for every citizen to enjoy the blessings of democracy and for the common good seem not to be the priority agenda of the powers-that-be in Manila. 

It is in that respect, where the restructuring of opportunities and rethinking of public policies and agenda for all Filipinos from Aparri to Tawi-tawi,  was—and still is—needed.

Peace Policy Agenda

As I see it, Prof. Nur Misuari, who at that time was the elected regional governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the appointed chairman of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD), envisioned the consolidation of the willpower, strength, wherewithal and unity of all Mindanaoans—Muslims, Christians and Highlanders. Basking in the euphoria of the peace process with the Ramos government then and his statesmanlike stature, he vigorously championed the crystallization of advancement, growth and development of Mindanao.

Highly respected as a government official, and having the edge over all other regional politicians  and indigenous leaders in terms of raw power, commanding influence and global connection, he unselfishly initiated this consolidation processes. His dream for all Mindanaoans officially inscribed  in his  Mindanao Agenda was actually concurred and signed by many political leaders in major cities and provinces in this part of the country. This clearly manifests that he was the singular dominant policymaker, whose pillars in steering the vision were the supporting hands, of course, of all other significant stakeholders.

           Political farsightedness and charismatic magnetism characterized Chairman Misuari’s leadership. He  envisions to enrich the geopolitics of Mindanao, vis-à-vis, the Philippine  national government. Clothed with authority to strategically think for his co-citizens, it was easy for him to persuade other policymakers, notwithstanding their party affiliations at that time, to his somewhat futuristic journey.

To effectuate the consensual and intelligent adoption of his peace agenda for Mindanao,  he mobilized the so-called Peace Caravan for almost two weeks. Through out the  length and breadth of the region, stretching from Cotabato to Saranggani, from Davao to Bukidnon, from Surigao to Zamboanga, he traveled by land  starting from his regional seat of power in  Shariff Kabunsuan sometime in August of 1997, followed by  over a hundred of truckloads of other stakeholders and peace advocates. At duly designated major cities and provinces, he held general meetings and mass consultations with the political leaderships of the visited places, notably with the mayors and governors.

Among the important personalities-- policymakers as they are in their own right—who warmly welcomed him were Governor Rogelio Llanos of Davao del Sur, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City, Mayor Democrito Plaza II of Butuan City, Governor Primo Murillo of Surigao del Sur, Vice Governor Nemesio Beltran of Bukidnon, Mayor Pablo Magtajas of Cagayan de Oro City, Mayor Alejo Yanes of Iligan City, Mayor Rosalinda Nunez of General Santos City, Mayor Versim Enad of Panabo, Davao del Norte and Mayor Vitaliano Agan of Zamboanga City, among others.

All such LGUs officials and other stakeholders subscribed to the policy agenda of Chairman Misuari. To formalize their consent and participation in the implementing process of such agenda, they all signed in the presence of their constituents the manifesto instituting the “Mindanao Agenda.” In it, among others, they declare, “We the Mindanaoans—Muslims, Christians and Highlanders alike, solemnly resolve… that we join hands today in the spirit of brotherhood to pursue and consolidate our people’s unity and solidarity, which is the solid and impregnable bedrock of peace, development and autonomy, embedded as we are by the lofty principle that Mindanao and Its Islands are one and indivisible.”

 In addition, spelled out also in the Mindanao Agenda is the matter of political participation  and representation. It states: “That we demand our right of representation in the various instrumentalities of the national government …”

The apparent lack of conscientizing sons and daughters of  Mindanao in the national policymaking bodies of the central government has actually contributed, to a greater degree, to the economic  impoverishment, developmental deprivation, and political disenfranchisement, so to speak, of the region. “Twenty million people in Mindanao not represented in the Senate, in the Supreme Court and various strategic organs of the national government is a travesty of democracy,” declared Chairman Misuari in Zamboanga City, the last leg of the peace  caravan, the journey to consolidate the spirit of unity  under the reign of progressive, peaceful and democratic rule.

From this journey and consultations, as could be discerned, sprang the consensus and affirmation for the adoption of the agenda they all willfully signed.

Sine Qua Non for Self-rule

 In essence, the agenda for Mindanao, I believe, was sound and reflective of the regional needs and present realities. True to its direction, Mindanao should have been  better off than its regional neighbors—Visayas and Luzon. It has all the strategic advantages and rich natural resources, both from land and sea, to prosper impressively. All the vital sine qua non for development, advancement, in fact even of self-rule, are available and in abundant, yet majority of the so-called Philippines’ Club 20, the euphemistic conglomeration of poor provinces, are found in Mindanao. What an irony!

The Peace Agenda for Mindanao of Chairman Misuari  was purposive. It has the intention of reinventing the bureaucracy and the national government apparatus as a whole to conform to stately principle of  equitable distribution of   wealth, power, budget, leadership, senate representation, opportunities and others. That policy could have enriched Pinoy democracy.

In brief, it could  have been an agenda with a wide and far-reaching effect, had it not because of  the loopholes. For one, Mindanao leaders and policymakers have not instituted a sustained mechanism  to  continuously monitor and evaluate the roadmap of where their efforts are leading them. May be, at hindsight, they should have hired a CPM specialist to constantly remind them of the to-do lists, which supposed to be a must at that given critical path of time.

Reengineer the Political Structures

In the heart and mind of every Mindanaoan is the passionate aspiration to stand second to none, much more to a Luzon-centric policymaking  Filipino. It is this kind of ideological thinking that opened a new vista for acceptability of such agenda. Irrespective of their party affiliations, Mindanao leaders up to now are openly  advocating for secure political future through regional senatorial quota, an opportunity that must be ensured by the constitution.  This is the only way for them  to grasp the nerve center of authority, enabling them  to lead the nation and to reengineer the political structures that continuously cause the social injustices and economic inequalities that bedevil  Mindanao.

As I have said that such agenda has been perceived to have been accepted Mindanao-wide. It is manifested in the general sentiments triggered by  unwanted disparity  in the showering of  the material, infrastructural, health, and participative blessings brought forth by democracy. This is also  mirrored in no-holds bar public pronouncements of some politicians, calling for more democratization of the system.

Without any iota of doubt, the policy agenda was well-thought and fair for all notwithstanding their beliefs, creed or origin. Its beacon light  was to institute a secure future, a fertile ground for pluralistic harmony—all forward looking—and burying at their back the depth-seated historical animosities between and among them. This could have been a model policy agenda for cross-cultural solidarity.

Given the generation to generation economic hardship of the people of Mindanao, as if poverty is inheritable, new avenues for change must be encouraged. The national leadership, Malacanang for one,  must be bold enough to exercise its willpower  in the face of this seemingly never-ending crisis atmosphere to order the evaluation of its policy decisions and laws. If  the root causes of these impoverishment of mass majority of the Ninety  million Filipinos  and the political instability of the country  are spawned by infirmities of the fundamental laws of the land, let us all do the curing – now!

Maybe, Chairman Nur Misuari’s Mindanao Agenda possesses the curative power for this region, and the nation in general. Who is there, after all, in Mindanao, be he Muslim, Christian or Lumad,  who will not favor for a liberative policy agenda for Mindanao itself?

Contributed by a Policy Analyst from the Islamic City of Marawi