FINDING THE COMMON GROUND IN THE GPH-MILF PEACE TALKS: A View from the Stakeholders and Grassroots

Here is another step towards lasting peace. Sharing with you the common statement during the 2nd National Solidarity Conference in Mindanao Sept 8-9 2011. Would like to thank MISSION member Ayyi Gardola of Davao for posting this on our egroup. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

FINDING THE COMMON GROUND IN THE GPH-MILF PEACE TALKS:

A View from the Stakeholders and Grassroots

We, the delegates of the 2nd National Solidarity Conference on Mindanao (NSCM II), 

representing religious leaders, business community, civil society organizations, 

indigenous peoples, women, youth, internally displaced persons and academe, gathered 

in Davao City on September 8-9, 2011 to tackle the theme,  “The GPH-MILF Peace 

Talks: Finding the Common Ground;”

DEEPLY ENCOURAGED by the results of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) 

survey that 8 out of 10 Filipinos are hopeful that the GPH-MILF Peace Talks will result 

in a signing of a peace agreement;  

SERIOUSLY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s 

pronouncement that the strong political capital and public support that he now enjoys 

will be most effective up to 2013; 

STRONGLY AGREE with the statement of MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim 

that “contentious and divisive issues in the peace negotiations can be resolved if both 

government and the MILF panels treat each other as partners instead of adversaries.” 

With the unequivocal mandate from their principals to fast-track the negotiations, we 

believe that this is not the time for the parties to show off posturing or compete with 

each other’s intellectual prowess and superiority in terms of strategies and tactics in 

negotiation. This is the time to lay down the cards on the table, roll the sleeves up and 

start the work of honest, discerning and determined negotiations mindful of the 

following 

PEACE OUTCOMES:

 Address the aspiration of the Bangsamoro people for self-governance in 

accordance with their distinct identity, culture, religion and way of life;

 Correct the imbalance of totality of relationship between Filipinos and Moros.

 Give due recognition and justice to the ancestral homeland of the Moros.

 Deliver good and effective governance, social services and foster economic 

development as soon as possible.

 Recognize the Moro aspiration for separate national identity while retaining their 

Filipino citizenship.

 Demilitarize, rehabilitate and normalize the situation in the conflict-affected 

areas.

 Filipinos and Moros share the fruits of peace and become partners in 

development.

MINDFUL of the long years of negotiations that have spanned four administrations --

Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and now under President 

Aquino - it is prudent and wise that the peace panels build and harness the gains of the 

negotiations by closely working on the consensus points as building blocks for a 

negotiated political settlement.  We are confident that both parties will not squander the 

long years of past negotiations by starting from scratch.  

LISTENING to the presentation of the GPH panel, and at the same time paying 

attention to those that have not been said, we feel that the GPH panel has not yet fully 

laid down its cards. While it was quick to state that this is part of the negotiation 

process, it will save a lot of time and energies if the GPH panel, which is in the position 

to give in this negotiation, will be able to respond squarely to the proposals of the MILF.  

Having described its proposal as the starting point, it will be more productive and 

honestly different, if GPH lays down its proposal not only from the starting point but 

also up to the ending point in order to spare the parties from what could be an 

unnecessary guessing game;

HEARING also from the MILF Peace Panel, we feel that the act of rejecting outright 

the proposal of the government was not faithful to the mutual understanding of the 

principals to fast-track the negotiations.  We urge the MILF to return to the negotiating 

table without pre-condition, extend the hand of dialogue and move heaven and earth in 

order to fulfill the political aspirations of the Bangsamoro people.  It is by talking and 

negotiating that we are able to narrow the gaps of the two proposals at hand;

FINDING  the common ground to move forward has not been an easy task for the 

NSCM2 considering the fact that the official proposals of both parties up to now remain 

confidential and inaccessible to ordinary stakeholders.   From the little knowledge that 

we have gathered and given the limited access to official documents actually exchanged 

in the formal talks, we believe that in order to find the common ground, it is imperative 

for both parties to address some procedural, psychological and substantive issues that 

impede the way towards the common ground, such as:

Psychological 

 At this critical stage in the negotiation, it is important for the parties to increase 

confidence-building measures and cultivate the real essence of partnership that 

both the GPH and the MILF are proposing.  Accusations and counter-accusations 

will not help the seeming deadlock of positions.  “Talk to each other instead of 

talking about each other in the media” is the call of the day as suggested by the 

Bangsamoro civil society leaders.  This applies also to statements posted on social 

networking sites which spread like virus and are prone to misinterpretation and 

agitation.

 Pounding the rido problem on the MILF like it is a  conditio sine qua non to 

negotiated political settlement does not improve the call to develop genuine 

partnership.  We believe that the peace mechanisms on the ground such as the 

Joint Coordinating  Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and the 

International Monitoring Team are much more effective and competent to deal 

with the ground issues while the peace panels focus their attention on bridging 

the substantive gaps of the proposals at hand.

Procedural 

 The issue on which draft will be used as a working draft is for us irrelevant and 

counter-productive.  Why not use both drafts and from there develop the working 

draft together?  What is lacking in one draft can be filled in by the contents of the 

other draft and vice-versa.  This may sound too simplistic but as it stands now, 

there are two proposals on the table and both are not diametrically opposed but 

could actually feed on some gaps that each proposal may be found wanting.  For 

instance, as the two proposals stand, it cannot simply be a choice between  

political solution or socio-economic development.  Both proposals can go 

together and will be mutually beneficial.   

 At this stage in the negotiation, we also remind the GPH panel to activate its 

Advisory Team especially those coming from the House of Congress and Senate 

and the Judiciary, so that the other branches of government will already be on 

board and will hopefully cooperate in the eventual legitimatization process of the 

peace agreement. 

Substantive 

 The Bangsamoro Commission as proposed by the GPH panel may be further 

developed and negotiated to address the task of “legalizing the peace agreement.”  

Admittedly, there are proposals on the table that cannot pass the test of 

constitutionality, thus requiring possible amendments of the present 

constitution.  Representation in the Bangsamoro Commission as proposed by the 

GPH can be improved by ensuring that it will be led and determined by the 

Bangsamoro people taking into account participation in terms of gender, ethnic 

nationalities within Bangsamoro nation and sectoral interests.

Along these lines, the NSCM2 puts forward the following recommendations:

1. For the parties to immediately return to the negotiating table and tackle the Draft 

MILF Comprehensive Compact and the GPH Three-for-One Solution with the 

end in view of bringing together provisions of the two proposals that are mutually 

acceptable to the parties.   We urge the parties to continue the efforts until they 

arrive at a mutually acceptable working draft.  

2. Instead of debating what will be the name of the governing political entity  –

whether it will be a substate or a new, improved and reformed ARMM or 

“autonomy  in brackets” as described by the GPH panel – we recommend that the 

parties focus putting flesh and substance to the governance structure that will be 

suitable and acceptable to the Bangsamoro people.  The parties do not have to 

start from scratch here because the Draft Comprehensive Compact of the MILF 

has a very concrete proposal which can be further enhanced and reframed in a 

manner that can be easily understood by the layperson.   Acknowledging the 

historical injustices committed against the Bangsamoro and indigenous peoples 

in Mindanao, as proposed by the GPH, is a very important element  for healing 

and reconciliation.

This clearly resonates with the statement of President Aquino that "From the 

very beginning, the devil is in the details. Baka iyong enhanced autonomy 

namin at saka iyong sub-state nila, sa pangalan magkalayo, pero sa detalye, 

baka magkalapit. So, talagang itututok natin doon sa detalye, ide-define ng 

bawat isang panig, ano ba talaga ang posisyon nila, ano ba iyong mga detalye 

at palagay ko marami ang makikita doon na magkakaparehas."

3. To prevent a repeat of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA-AD) of 2008,  we 

take the risk of being repetitious by reiterating the NSCM standing 

recommendation for the setting-up of a regular feedback mechanism and public 

consultations that should be institutionalized in the local government units, 

national government agencies, including the legislative and judicial branches of 

government. 

FINALLY, for the GPH and MILF peace panels we pray that God will bestow upon you 

good health, wisdom, patience and creativity to become effective peacemakers.  We hope 

that your efforts will lead you to the common ground for a negotiated political 

settlement which will finally realize our shared aspirations for peace, justice, and social 

progress.  After doing everything that is humanly possible, we entrust everything to our 

Almighty God and seek out divine intervention that we may experience the joys of 

heaven, here on earth.  

Once again, we commit our skills, time, talents, energies, patience and creativity in 

order to fulfill the hopes of the majority of our people; that a peace agreement will not 

only be signed but also implemented during the term of President Aquino.  This is the 

best legacy that the son of Cory and Ninoy, our President, can give to the peoples in 

Mindanao.   

September 9, 2011, Davao City.