December 10, 2001

When in the course of  human existence, the government of a people unjustly neglects the material and spiritual interest of the masses for which it was created to serve, promote, protect and defend; when a colonial governmental power becomes so corrupt, so incompetent and so ruthless that it even allows the genocidal extermination of a part of its inhabitants and the brazen prostitution of its electoral processes thereby suppressing the sovereign will of its people; and when all hopes for ideological, constitutional, institutional, moral and spiritual reforms die in the face of unbridled corruption, indifference and total dishonesty in public service:

It becomes imperative upon an oppressed segment humanity to rise boldly and firmly assert their inalienable rights to human decency, human dignity, and to a societal order that gives primacy to people's maximum participatory responsibility in charting their common destiny and, as such, collectively shape their future in the finest image of their hopes and aspirations.

We hold these sacramental truths to be self-evident and non-negotiable: That all men are entitled to a total honesty in public service; that the very heart and the only life of democracy is a true and honest meritocratic process of elections; that one of the paramount concerns of any political leadership is the promotion and protection of the genius of its people; that all men are created spiritually equal and, as such, entitled to the same political rights, privileges and opportunities; and, above all, that all human beings are, among others, irrevocably vested with the right to life, liberty, and the unlimited pursuit of happiness.

On the other hand, we acknowledge these political realities to be self-evident: That the United Nations  International Monetary Fund and the Philippine Ombudsman is correct in the assessment that "the Philippine Government is the 4th most corrupt institution in the world;" further, that it cannot exist or survive without corruption; and that, in many of departments of the government, honesty in public service has become a capital offense and, therefor, a danger to one's life and liberty. In short, that it has been generally and in reality a crime to be honest in the service of the colonial Republic of the Philippines today.

Since the birth of Philippine colonial republic, the Mindanaoan  Malays -- especially the Mindanaoan Muslims, Christians, and Tribal Highlanders --  have been wantonly neglected and forgotten.  Through the years they have been locked out from the mainstream of political power; denied of equal representation in all important levels of governmental administration; and no Mindanaoan was ever elected President. Neither was any Mindanaoan appointed Chief Justice of the highest tribunal of the land nor commissioned Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Then, to keep the Mindanaoans forever subservient to the Manila-based colonial power, the Philippine Government embarked on a bloody policy of physical and genocidal extermination and political exclusion of the Mindanaoan people. Moreover, and as a result of the total breakdown of decency and morality in public service:

1. Tens of thousands of the Filipino people fled to Hong Kong, Japan, Saipan and Singapore, and to other parts of the world, as economic refugees wherein they have been forced to serve as economic slaves and thereby surrender their dignity as human beings;

2. Thousands of young men and women have been -- because of a corruption-created climate of poverty and  misery - dehumanized and forced to sell their flesh and survive in misery while selfish politicians and foreigners live in affluence and comfort as they continue to exploit the vast and rich resources of the land;

3. Hundreds of infants and children die of malnutrition everyday, while several Filipino economic slaves die in foreign lands under mysterious circumstances daily; and

4. The electoral system has been completely manipulated and prostituted, rendering the people unable to choose the most honest, the best, and brightest to destroy the forces of corruption and lead the country under the banner of human decency, meritocracy and democracy.

WHEREFORE, we, the officers and members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the proposed Bangsamoro Republik of Mindanao, hereby declare:

That we are free, sovereign and independent; and, in the meantime, we hereby proclaim the Bangsamoro Republik of Mindanao in Exile, which is a meritocratic and democratic government for the masses, by the masses, of the masses.

Finally, we declare that THE BANGSAMORO REPUBLIK IN EXILE has the full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce and do all the things which other countries might of right do. And to support this proclamation, we pledge total allegiance to the maintenance, protection, and preservation of the rebirth and existence of this new nation, and its commitment to a just, meritocratic and democratic order.

   -   (Submitted by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
        to the Special Committtee on Decolonization of the United
        Nations for its reference, suggestions, review and Recommendation.)

SUBMITTED IN BEHALF OF HIS
EXCELLENCY PROF. NUR P. MISUARI
CHAIRMAN, MORO NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT (MNLF)
PRESIDENT, PROPOSED BANGSAMORO REPUBLIK

(SIGNED)
BY SULTAN ELLY VELEZ LAO PAMATONG, ESQUIRE
MNLF LEGAL COUNSEL AND DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER
CHIEF,  MNLF LIAISON TO THE UNITED NATIONS
FOREIGN MINISTER, ROYAL SULTANATES OF MINDANAO
INTERNATIONAL SPOKESMAN, MINDANAO INDEPENDENCE
MOVEMENT (MIM)