ARMM – Where a Worst Disaster is Waiting to Happen

R. de Silva

June 19, 2011

                For several days now many places in Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao have been flooded due to clogging of the Rio Grande de Mindanao, the main river system in the island, by the water hyacinths or popularly known as water lilies, which make the flood water go to the lowlands instead of going to the sea. For many years, these floodings have been happening to the region during the rainy season but actions to solve the main cause of such natural and man-made disaster are so slow. Concerned government agencies and officials in the area are often seen working on a solution during the actual floodings and not before or after them. But this year’s floodings have been the worst in the sense that more areas are affected and more people are dislocated/evacuated. And the government has to declare a state of calamity to these areas.

                But a disaster worst than these floods is about to happen in the region. It is purely a “man made” disaster and it is both political and moral disaster. For several weeks already both houses of Congress had approved their separate bills for the postponement and synchronization of ARMM elections in 2013 midterm elections. “Political hyacinths” have blocked the river of democracy so that the people in the ARMM “low lands or from the South” could not exercise their basic rights to vote and choose their own leaders. The bills for the postponement aka synchronization have been identified by the PNoy Administration as urgent but surprisingly up to now no law to this effect has been signed by the President.

                Earlier the House version (H B 4146) was really reflective of the Presidential wish – that is the August 8, 2011 ARMM elections would be postponed and the President would appoint his chosen officials who will serve up to May 2013 but who could not run for elections in these synchronized elections. The Senate version (SB 2756) is almost the same (as carried through by the four (4) Liberal Party Senators) but these appointed officials by the President could still run for May 2013 synchronized elections. And it seems that the House had agreed with the Upper chamber’s version. If a law will be signed by the President which is already in the bag, then the PNoy administration and its anointed ones  has never had it so good to have their cake and eat it too. It will simply be worst than the martial law period and even during the President Corazon C. Aquino’s revolutionary constitution.

Indeed a disaster waiting to happen in ARMM.

                Peoples in the ARMM, no matter one classifies the region as a failed political project, do not deserve such preventable disaster. In fact, many of them wonder why no law has been signed yet when the President and his advisers have been campaigning for the postponement since last year  because it is so urgent. Of course people have understood that the President and his advisers are buying their time now hoping to dissipate and defuse peoples anger and disappointment by the time a law will be signed. Of course the people in the ARMM are aware that the President  and his advisers are weighing their chances and that proper time should be observed because they (PNoy and his advisers) are aware of the constitutional and moral infirmities and limitations  of the about to be signed law. And of course PNoy and his advisers should have the law just in time for the Second State of the Nation Address (SONA) where he will present the approved law and his anointed ones but most important of all is that they (PNoy and his advisers) want that the people who will question the law’s constitutionality to the Supreme Court and bringing the moral legitimacy of the law to the people will lost their time. Meanwhile PNoy and his advisers are testing the waters for their anointed ones.

Testing the Political Ground

                It has been said that by the end of this month, President Noynoy Aquino (PNoy) will announce his chosen one as acting governor of ARMM  in the next 21 months. In fact, the other day it was announced that PNoy has already endorsed his anointed one. Only to be denied by Malacañang the next day and nothing has been heard since then. It has been obvious that the President’s men and women were just testing the ground. Especially so that their chosen one has never been so popular even in his island province where he lost his gubernatorial bid in May 2010 elections. Before 2010, the anointed one had also got dismal votes in the province as a Partylist representative. How he has been chosen by the President only his Adviser on Political Affairs can answer. But definitely not because the latter would want to discover new politics in the former but it should be to the outmost advantage of the opportunities (political as well as personal) for the partisan interest of the Political affairs adviser. It should be noted that the Partylist of the Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs has not been visible in the ARMM especially in the Bangsamoro population. It is the best and safest way in selecting somebody not known to be a member of one’s Partylist group and yet because the chosen one will be beholden to the anointing one, he will be serving the interest of the anointing authority. Of course PNoy will be the formal anointing authority but he will only select from the list provided by the so called selecting committee all of whom are not from Mindanao and definitely not from ARMM but have been acting as experts on Mindanao and ARMM and one of these “experts” is the Political Affairs Adviser.

                The June 16, 2011 announcement and the denial of the anointed has been part of the whole scheme planned and executed by PNoy and his advisers. It should be noted that as early as late last year and early this year the allies of the Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs have been going around and preparing the ground for the anointment of their selected candidate for OIC of ARMM which means they had to work hard to invent reasons for the postponement of the August 8, 2011 ARMM elections so that PNoy can short cut the political process. They even made the criteria for the selection of their candidate. They had arranged audience and signed agreement with Moro revolutionary groups in order to support their moves for the appointment of their candidate. They also have initiated and launched civil society groups and movements to support their candidate and paint a picture that their candidate is not from the traditional politics (trapos) because they put as one of the criteria for the ARMM governor who should not be identified as trapo. One has just to look at the list of member organizations of the so called civil society movements for reform in ARMM and one can easily identify that not so few of these are identified with the Party of the Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs. This makes people even think if the “Political Affairs” here actually refers to the activities of the Political Party of the said Advoser. So when the June 16, 2011 announcement came that PNoy has endorsed a former Partylist representative as OIC ARMM governor, not so many were surprised except of course Malacañang and the so called advisers who immediately denied the “Presidential Endorsement”.

The Need for Political and Moral Closures

                The people of the ARMM are still giving the PNoy administration the benefit of the doubt  in its aim to curb if not eliminate corruption during its term. This is the main reason why many of them would want to have the elections in August 8, 2011 since this is supposed to be the first one for a regional election after the Ampatuans. After all they want to prove that democracy could have worked hand in hand with autonomy after the autocratic reign of the Ampatuans as supported by the former Arroyo administration. In fact, the people of ARMM have put their hope in the PNoy administration to be not only a complete opposite of the previous administration but would respect and help them nurture democracy and have autonomy grown fully bloomed. But before the people of ARMM will completely lost this hope for the PNoy administration they want some closures on the following but not limited to these issues.

                The 2007 Batasan Bombing

                The barbaric act had happened almost four years ago but it has big implication to ARMM today. It is because the person who is about to be appointed as OIC of ARMM was implicated among others. The obvious object of the bombing was the sitting representative of the island province and all the rest who were murdered with him are just collateral damage. Not so few were maimed and wounded but they too were part of the collateral. It is not a secret that the murdered representative was the main political stumbling block of the traditional politicians in the island province. In fact, during his murder,  he had just defeated a brother of the Presidential anointed one in the 2007 congressional elections in the province. After almost four years, nothing seems to happen except that Presidential anointed one was cleared by the former Secretary Raul Gonzalez of the Department of Justice to the surprise of the prosecutors of the case. The former Deputy Speaker – Jerry Salapudin – was issued a warrant of his arrest but up to now nothing has been heard regarding the status of his case. Surely he has many stories to tell about the bombing. The first cousin of the anointed one (the same family name) was arrested but he got his self released and nothing has been heard of about his whereabouts.

                Given the context of how justice had been dispensed of the past DOJ of the previous administration, the people of ARMM would want to revisit the case. With the person about to be appointed in the highest executive position in ARMM, the people especially the victims deserve nothing less. The closure of this issue will be rights step of PNoy and his administration in walking with the people in ARMM on “Daang Matuwid”.

                The Issue on Ombudsman

                The issue is related to the actuations of the Anointed one during his time as a Partylist Representative. An issue on Fund disbursements was raised by the Anointed one’s party mates showing a lopsided preference to his island province. People came to know about the issue because when it was first raised within the partylist concerned the Anointed one simply dissolved the legitimate Council which he had participated in its election as written document would show and formed his own council. The partylist asked the House to investigate and the issue has reached the Ombudsman. There was investigation conducted and the several barangays leaders were said to sign affidavits that indeed anomalies happened. Some of them were kept silent and some simply disappeared. Meanwhile just like in the DOJ, nothing has happened to the investigation conducted by the Ombudsman. And meanwhile, harassments and warrant of arrests were received by the Officials of the Partylist concerned.

                If PNoy and his administration is serious in minimizing if not eradicating graft and corruption during his term, the people in ARMM do not deserve having this kind of an anointed one even for a day.

The Presidential Blinks 

                Some very revealing moments were observed during the Senate deliberation of SB 2756. There were clear moments when PNoy and his advisers were not sure of the Senate’s approval of the proposed bill and the COMELEC had to extend several times the deadline of the filing of certificates of candidacy, PNoy and his advisers had to let their anointed one to file his certificate of candidacy in the last minute. This was a problematic stage, because they (PNoy and his advisers) had to campaign that no reforms could be instituted if the elections were not postponed or synchronized  in 2013 and yet they had to make sure that their anointed one would be there if ever elections will not be postponed. This is still the game plan of PNoy and his advisers, just in case the Supreme Court will see the constitutional darkness of the synchronization of elections. But anyway, this has put into question of their belief that if 2011 elections will push through no genuine reforms could take place in ARMM.

                In the pre-approval of the SB2756 PNoy and his advisers had even to meet and convince the ARMM governors and officials to support their anointed one. This was the meeting that Gov. Toto Mangudadatu was describing in June 16 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

                Legal and technical questions were raised by some Senators about possible appointments for OICs in the executive and legislative branches of those who filed their certificates of candidacy for the positions in pre June 6 2011 period.For some people these candidates do not believe that reforms in ARMM could only be possible after the synchronized elections in  2013. These people, including the anointed one manifested by filing his certificate of candidacy that reforms in the region can only be possible if these are supported by the people in ARMM during the August 2011 scheduled elections .

                Unless of course, the act of filing the certificate of candidacy is purely opportunistic in the part of the anointed one just to make sure that he would not be technically out of the ARMM gubernatorial race, knowing that the support of PNoy and his advisers could make miracles and what had been agreed or made sure by the May 30, 2011 meeting between the PNoy and his advisers and the ARMM governors.

                In the next few days and weeks, a worst disaster is waiting to happen in ARMM unless the people in ARMM will translate their opposition to the postponement of 2011 election to an “Arab type” movement finding their own TAHRIR in this issue. Unless the Supreme Court will bravely point out the glaring error in Pnoy and his advisers thinking of Autocracy in exchange of Autonomy and unless the PNoy blinks again…

ARMM: Where Democracy was Murdered

By R. de Silva
June14, 2011

The administration of President Noynoy Aquino (PNOY) has put the postponement of ARMM election in August 8, 2011 and synchronize it to 2013 election one of its priority bills. The reasons for the postponement have been varied depending on the various views o f the Presidential Advisers whose common denominator is closeness to the president but all of them are not from Mindanao. The House of Representatives had immediately passed House Bill  (HB) 4146 and the Senate had just passed the Senate Bill (DB) 2756 (June 6, 2011) just before they adjourned their session “sine die”. This unfortunate approval by both houses of congress was done because of the pressure of the President himself using the magic of the pork barrel and despite of the overwhelming resistance and disapproval of the majority of the people not only in ARMM but in the whole country as shown by the result of the survey conducted by Social Weather Station (SWS) as early as first week of March 2011. Fifty one percent (51%) of the respondents did not favor the postponement of ARMM election did not agree and only twenty four percent (24%) favored it.

                The President’s pressure was so strong and intense that the governors in ARMM had to change this views many times but they finally stood for elections just before the Senate decided to postpone it. The COMELEC because of the same pressure had to postpone the filing of candidacy of those running for different positions in the ARMM several times.

Almost a Year After… How life has changed in ARMM for the worst!

                It has not been a year yet since PNoy became the President because of his pledge to the people who voted for him that he would be complete opposite to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) and that he would follow the wishes and wisdom of the people.  In fact in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) he stated that the people will be his boss (Kayo po ang Boss ko!). And now, less than a year after PNoy is acting just like,  if not worse than his predecessors including the Dictator Marcos who was ousted by the people and put his (PNOY) mother into the presidency and whose legacy including his late father Senator Ninoy Aquino, has made PNoy got the highest mandate of the people in 2010 elections.

                In PNoy’s  speech during the 113^th Celebration of the Philippine Independence, he had emphasized that freedom without dignity is not worth it but dignity without democracy is unthinkable or freedom without democracy is simply a fallacy.

                How can the people of ARMM live with dignity when democracy has been hijacked by those people they put in power to help them guard and nurture it?.

                How can the people of ARMM live with dignity when democracy has been murdered by those people  who claimed to be the bearer of its light because they have been direct beneficiaries of it? Why are the peoples of ARMM punish by depriving to them democracy because reforms should be in place before they can genuinely and democratically chose their own leaders? And the worst is that, PNoy and his advisers as well as supporters are trying to say the people of ARMM do not want reforms now as if having elections as set by law (RA. 9333) would mean people would want to continue with the Ampatuan way of governance and block voting style  during elections. As if having elections as scheduled the people of ARMM would not want that the billions of pesos or dollars which came in the region would not be audited and have people be accountable to them. As if having ARMM election in August 2011 would not provide the proper atmosphere to the ongoing talks between the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). No, in fact, the people of ARMM want the opposite. They want clean and honest elections that is why they want  that as part of the preparation the COMELEC should be cleansed first before they (COMELEC) can clean the voters’ list. In fact, the people of ARMM wants more than the cleansing, they want to see the people in COMELEC punish and jail for rigging the 2004, 2007 and 2010 elections and not put them in charge of the elections synchronized or unsynchronized ones. And in fact, the people of ARMM would not just want to stop the Ampatuan’s style of block voting they would want to see the Ampatuans and the  their supporters all arrested, put into trial and sent to jail for murdering the votes of the people of ARMM for so many years and for the Maguinadanao massacre which they did to continue their rule in the region unchallenged. And in fact, the people of ARMM would want to see all those responsible in creating and protecting the Ampatuans arrested, put into trial and punish by at least jailing them or buried them alive using the backhoes which buried the 53 innocent people murdered in Maguindanao last November 23, 2009. Then and only then can genuine reforms be instituted by PNoy with the people and not apart from them but definitely excluding the Presidential  Advisers and their anointed ones.

                The people of ARMM would want to see PNOY and his Administration not just be different from the previous administration but should be far better in terms of looking into their interests. And this is best implemented by active participation of the people themselves. Reforms even for the best intention  for  the peoples’ interest without the people whose names have been used for such reforms are not sustainable to say the least but worst because it is dictatorial in essence. To have reforms  from above is not only dreaming but  it is as if trying to hit the moon from Malacanang.

                After almost a year in office, PNOY and his advisers should stop blaming the past GMA administration for the failures or inaction of today. They should not be conscious of their present works for  the next administration not to have the same difficult situation than they have had. They should focus their works to answer today’s burning issues of poverty, hunger and corruption and proactively work for the sustainable and holistic solution. Then the positive impact of these actions for the next generations and administrations will be in place. In short, PNOY and his advisers should altogether stop blaming the past for the woes and miseries  of peoples today and should immediately wake up from daydreaming  for making the works of the next administration as difficult  as he has after GMA.  They should come to their senses and work with the people to solve the problem or at least alleviate of hunger by almost a third of the population (more than 50% in ARMM). They should focus to solve or at least minimize  the problem of unemployment which affect almost  50% of the total labor force and develop alternative but sustainable livelihood so that the unending exodus of our precious human resources leaving the country (almost 5,000 workers leave the country everyday looking for work anywhere in the world). These modern  “exoducians” can definitely help the country more than the other countries which exploit them.

                They should focus to understand the historical complexities and current realities of Mindanao in order to make a step towards building sustainable, people centered and community based peace in Mindanao in particular and the country in general. PNOY  should not only listen to his non-Mindanaoan advisers who become instant experts on Mindanao but most especially to the voices of Mindanaoan on the ground.

And reforms in the ARMM for 21 months?

                PNoy and his advisers must be dreaming! Even if they put their most favorite friends in the different positions in the Region, they can never perform or even make a difference in the ARMM except maybe to prepare themselves for the 2013 elections (Senate version on the synchronization of the elections).

                The freezing of the assets and finances of the Ampatuans in the different banks for instance is again hollow  propaganda because everybody knows that the Ampatuans were and are not fan of the banks and if they did have money in the banks, these are not in their names. The Administration can better check the banks in specific period (just before the declaration of martial law in the province of Maguindanao and the City of Cotabato) and they can have a surprise in their lives. One of the managers of these banks had already died. But worst is that, freezing the Ampatuans’ assets, they have also frozen the  money intended for the ARMM budget the biggest part of which is for the personal services and salaries. Definitely a deliberate move to pressure the ARMM employees to submit themselves to the wishes of Malacanang. The moves are not hurting those officials who have enriched themselves in the region for they will always have their reserves. They are surely hitting the ordinary people working in the ARMM. 

                Included or inserted in the bill for the postponement and synchronization of elections in the ARMM in the authority for PNoy to appoint ARMM officials who will be in acting capacity to govern ARMM for the next twenty one months. These OICs will have greater advantage over the other candidates in 2013 because of these appointments. So when the political adviser of PNoy was saying over the radio during an interview just before the senate approved SB 2657, that the reason for synchronization of elections in 2013 would eliminate the undue advantage of the Administration candidate over the others (no administration candidate had ever lost in ARMM elections).He was eating his words.  Worst, he (political adviser) and two others (Sec, Ging Deles and Sec. Robredo) will be part of the screening committee for the appointees of PNoy. The process will make sure that their favorites (albeit past records) will be the ones who will be elected in 2013 elections. “Daang matuwid o daang mapanlinlang…? Make your choice…

                ARMM will have a full meaning consistent of the actuations of PNoy and his advisers, “A” stand for Aquino and should be read as Aquino Region for Muslim Mindanao.