THE Sulu Cathedral bombing came as no surprise. It has and will always be par for the course in that part of the Philippines. The incongruous application of two laws in our Republic is evident, when stricter enforcement and compliance is served in Luzon and Visayas, with Mindanao discrepant, trumpeting variant culture and history as basis to be errant of Constitutional governance. The irony is, the state of ‘Martial Law’ remains in force and effect. Such a State weapon could be the surgical approach to pursuing, collecting, arresting, and charging all illegal firearms, particularly Southern Mindanao, to include private armies under Article 18 Sec 24 of the current 1987 Charter.
Passage of the Bangsamoro plebiscite must be initial opening for government to require the MILF (predominant majority of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission) to register their illegal firearms? High-powered arms for war surrendered?
I spoke to friends close to MNLF Chair Nur Misuari, after the Sunday Cathedral blast which extinguished 20 lives, wounding 80 innocent beings, and they await talks with President Rodrigo Duterte. They are “innocently” hopeful of Federalism with 2 separate States for the Bangsamoro. If the MNLF of “pro-Sabah and anti-Malaysia” is patient for federalism, what was the rush for the MILF for BOL? I warned those who have the ear of Misuari, the ‘2 Federal States’ for Bangsamoro is rough sailing. The MILF, pseudo MNLF partners, and Malaysian patrons will be defiant. It is pragmatic to consider, given the new power and funding granted the MILF, stalwarts and hardliners in the MNLF will be diluted and eventually co-opted. The last stumbling block for an MILF and Putra Jaya alliance to excise any threat over existent protest for Sabah’s return, will be an MNLF, Sultanate & Sulu people politically neutered and sidelined from what is still a developing scenario and strategic step for what I fear in the next 20 years. A Bangsamoro State declaration joining the Malaysian Confederation? And the latter officially recognizing their existence and entry?
