Knowing the tremendous effort that the OIC had exerted to broker the Peace Agreement with the MNLF in 1996, your visit in Mindanao today could be a moment to celebrate and a time to count the dividends of peace that you have helped broker 10 years ago. But sadly, we have not yet arrived at the situation which the government, MNLF and the OIC collectively envisioned in 1996. After your field visit, you will surely find a lot of problems and challenges that the Bangsamoro communities still face today despite the 1996 Peace Agreement.

18 May 2006

HON. AMBASSADOR SAYED K. EL-MASRY
HON. AMBASSADOR SALEM ADEM
Head of Mission to the Field Visit to Southern Philippines
Organization of Islamic Conference

Your Excellencies:

Warm solidarity greetings!

The Mindanao Peaceweavers, a broad network of peace networks in Mindanao, conveys its gratitude and expresses its support to the Organization of Islamic Conference’s (OIC) week-long mission to assess the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) forged by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) on September 2, 1996. The mission is, indeed, timely as it comes at a time when the Accord is turning ten years.

Knowing the tremendous effort that the OIC had exerted to broker the Peace Agreement with the MNLF in 1996, your visit in Mindanao today could be a moment to celebrate and a time to count the dividends of peace that you have helped broker 10 years ago. But sadly, we have not yet arrived at the situation which the government, MNLF and the OIC collectively envisioned in 1996. After your field visit, you will surely find a lot of problems and challenges that the Bangsamoro communities still face today despite the 1996 Peace Agreement.

Being stakeholders, we knew right from the start that the peace process should not only be left for the government and the Moro rebel fronts to work on, a philosophy we have been anchored on in actively engaging citizens and communities in supporting peace initiatives in Southern Philippines. The Mindanao Peaceweavers, has been exerting its very best efforts, though modest, to monitor the implementation of the FPA knowing very well that its success would ultimately redound to the benefit of the peoples in Mindanao.

Among several undertakings the Mindanao Peaceweavers did on the ground were independent investigations that tried to look into the factors that led to the big wars in Sulu in February and November 2005, displacing over 70,000 civilians. The state of war between government and MNLF fighters in Sulu, as described by our mission report on March 27-31, 2005, “has continued to bring fear and insecurity despite efforts to bring back the situation to normalcy. A collective insecurity persists despite renewed promises of rehabilitation of houses and construction of roads and bridges. There is a raging cry for peace, justice and human rights.” As peace advocates, we ask, why is there renewed fighting between the MNLF and the military in Sulu when there is supposed to be a Peace Agreement being implemented? (See attached: 1) Report of the Sulu Peace and Solidarity Mission of the Mindanao Peaceweavers, and, 2) Bakwit Bulletin issue on the visit to MNLF Chair Nur Misuari)

As you go around Bangsamoro communities during your field visit, you will surely be convinced that the mission of the OIC is far from over. And your presence and active mediation at this point is very much needed if not crucial. In the interest of peace, the Mindanao Peaceweavers, is taking this opportunity to appeal for the Mission to seriously consider the herein proposals to address a potentially catastrophic situation in the offing.

  1. Reconstitute the tripartite body composed of representatives from the GRP, MNLF and the OIC. The tripartite body shall be tasked to conduct a thorough review of the implementation of the provisions of the Accord in the past ten years and come up with its own findings and recommendations. Doing this would once and for all stop the never-ending and counter-productive exchanges of accusations of violations to the FPA by both the GRP and the MNLF.
  2. Organize a Joint Monitoring Committee to respond to, and possibly avert potential armed encounters between government soldiers and MNLF forces, especially amid the very alarming situation that is prevailing in the island-province of Sulu and other potential conflict areas.
  3. Exhaust all diplomatic channels possible for the GRP to immediately and unconditionally release Prof. Nur Misuari from prison. It must be noted that Misuari has been imprisoned for over four years now without due process and in utter disregard of the right of the accused to speedy trial.

We believe that Misuari plays a crucial role in bringing about a proper closure of the 1996 peace agreement. Current political realities on the ground inconceivably present a 1996 Peace Agreement scenario without Prof. Misuari, he being undeniably the recognized leader and Chairman of the MNLF.

Knowing how the OIC painstakingly brokered the years of peace negotiations between the GRP and the MNLF, we are equally aware that the Conference could not allow the hard-earned gains of the FPA to be smothered by renewed hostilities, hence, our call on the honorable members of the mission to exhaust all diplomatic efforts to address our three very pressing concerns.

While the herein attachments, we believe, are sufficient to back this appeal, the Mindanao Peaceweavers, whenever you believe it necessary, is more than willing to discuss with you other details on this regard.

Welcome to Mindanao!

Sincerely yours in peace,

Fatmawatti Sallpudin, Lead Convenor
Guiamel Alim, Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society
FR. Angel Calvo, Zamboanga Coalition of Peace Advocates
Augusto Miclat, Jr., Initiatives for International Dialogue
Fr. Roberto Layson, OMI, Mindanao Peoples Caucus
Karen Tanada, Mindanao Solidarity Network
Rev. Al Senturias, Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement
Timuary Melanio Ulama, Mindanao Peoples Caucus

Cc:

Ambassador Emaleen Abdul Rahman Teo
Ambassador Taysir Hussein
Ambassador Taher Ahmed Sarif
Ambassador Mohammed Ameen Wali
Ambassador Prof. Irzan Tandjung
Ambassador Muhammad Abul Quashem
Charge d’ Affaires Wan Jaafar Wan Mahamud
Secretary Jesus Dureza
Undersecretary Ramon Santos