Sleeping with the enemy?

[Rediesel]

Ramos: Estrada ruined MNLF peace deal
By Sandy Araneta
The Philippine Star 03/04/2005

Former President Fidel Ramos blamed ousted leader Joseph Estrada for engaging in a policy of war in Mindanao that strained the peace agreement of the government with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

"It is not the peace agreement (between the government and the MNLF) that has a problem. The problem are the people who implemented it," Ramos told reporters at the launching of the Madrasah curriculum and the country’s first Islamic textbooks at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City late Wednesday.

Ramos stressed that the country’s national policy in Mindanao is to maintain peace and security and to promote development.

It was during the administration of Ramos that a peace agreement was signed with the MNLF in September 1996. The MNLF was founded by Nur Misuari in the early 1970s to fight for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao. A faction split with Misuari in 1978, forming the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Misuari led the MNLF in signing a peace treaty with the government. He later became governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but was removed from power in November 2001.

Before his ouster in January 2001, Estrada ordered an all-out offensive against Muslim separatist guerrillas that successfully captured Camp Abubakar, the main stronghold of the MILF in Maguindanao.

"War, as it was done during his time, was to go all out with the full force of the Armed Forces. That was an overkill as far as I am concerned. It dislocated hundreds and thousands of Filipinos and destroyed the harmony between the Christians, Muslims and Lumads all over again," Ramos said.

The former president said the peace agreement with the Muslim separatists and the government took 27 years in the making out of armed struggle and patient negotiations, along with the loss of 120,000 lives.

Ramos said the 27 years of forging the peace agreement with the Muslim separatist rebels went down the drain after Estrada gave the order to destroy Camp Abubakar at all cost, including its mosque.

Ramos stressed that it was during the implementation of the peace agreement that the country had the opportunity to bridge the social and economic gap of the people.

During the launching ceremonies, Ramos pointed out the importance of the Madrasah curriculum which emphasizes Islamic values and the Q’uran along with the secular curriculum on basic subjects.

He said there are about nine million Muslim Filipino students that will be benefited by the program.


I think Phil is the only country that allows autonomous region with in its territory.

Autonomous region of Tundo kaya?

If you are the Prez, the leader, the defender of the constitution, then you have every right to annihilate any one that is a threat to the state.

Loko tong si Ramos di na lang manahimik, dak dak pa ng dakdak.

[afrasay]

Ilang taon na ba yan peace agreement ek-ek na yan with the MILF and other faction na yan. Sa ibang bansa o kahit dito pag may terrorist attack sino agad ang nasa ulo natin na gumawa nito? BOTO lang naman ang gusto ng mga pulitiko na yan!!!

[ILuvDetailing]

Ayan nanaman si tobako, humihirit nanaman... wala na sigurong magawa.

[IceColdBeer]

iniipit kasi ni miriam kaya naghahanap ng diversion ;) dapat talaga walang ceasefire at ubusin na mga yan NPA, MNLF, at MILF, kaso hinahaluan ng pulitika kaya ganun.

[RedHorse]

gma at twelve noon today: no ceasefire...

[johnnyd]

sira ulo tong si ramos talaga. 20 billion ang pinanakaw niya kay misuari la pang peace. dapat talaga pulbusin na yang mga muslim rebels na yan.

[jim]

balita ko magkumpare si Ramos at Misuari :D (tsismis)