Once more the GMA regime confirms an insidious plot to stay in power beyond 2010.While the nation, mired in severe economic crisis, is astir over the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD) between the GRP and MILF, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made an anticipated pronouncement: “We advocate federalism as a way to ensure long-lasting peace in Mindanao”.
Malacañang’s henchmen lost no time in renewing its bid for charter change this time riding on the Senate Joint Resolution No. 10 calling for a shift to federal system and the need to legitimize the MoA-AD it signed with the MILF. Meanwhile foreign powers like USA, which has more than a casual interest in Mindanao, have manifested impatience over “democratic process”. It is not important to the US whether it is GMA or somebody else who would oversee the “process” so long as every remaining legal and constitutional obstacle to their interests is finally removed.
The US has taken and is provided the advantage to ensure and secure its own interests by stationing its troops and by actively influencing the outcome of the Mindanao “peace process” in utter disregard and trampling over of the Filipino, including the Bangsamoro, people’s sovereignty.
There is therefore now a meeting of interests in the move to change the Philippine charter. The GMA reactionary regime is bent and earnest in taking this opportunity to keep hold of power.
The federal shift for “peace”.
The federal way “to ensure peace” is Malacañang’s rhetoric; the real thing is further conflict. The character of ruling class politics here and US intervention overshadow the restructuring to the federal system.
In truth, federalism is not the main issue; the question is the interests that would benefit from this system given the prevailing conditions in the Philippines. System-shift via charter-change under the despicable GMA regime, whose desire to stay in power is obvious, already grabs away from federalism its merits.
Moreover, the reality that Philippines politics is based on patronage politics exercised by local dynasties will prove federalism disastrous to the Filipino people in general and advantageous to local ruling classes in particular. Furthermore, the benefits of this system for local political lords could fuel further conflict among and within political clans and in the process dragging the people into their fray.
Under the present unitary system the contest for power among members of the ruling class is most intense at the local levels. Given increased powers in a federal system their contests would be more severe, bloodier and at greater financial and social cost. Already, new and old political dynasties registered strong resurgence in 2004 and stronger in 2007. Even the latest ARMM results, do not deviate from this trend, entrenching further traditional politicos especially those with close ties to the Palace. The character of the GMA regime-- rewarding or buying the support of local political clans that include the worst types—warlords, despotic landlords and land-grabbers, real estate and finance speculators, smugglers and gambling lords--; the most corrupt, vicious and subservient but self-serving of military and police generals; and an equally corrupt and corruptible cabinet and national bureaucracy heralds the kind of federalism the Philippines could ever have.
If the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) is model or blueprint for the Philippine federal system, we could expect the re-division of the Philippines into 11 or so federal states alone would entail a protracted battle among local elites for their economic, especially landed, interests and control.
Advocacy for federalism in the Philippines has gained much support especially in Mindanao. But however its merits, the federal system could never ensure peace or progress in Mindanao or the whole Philippines. As exemplified by the BJE, the Philippine Federal system would have a weak central government and strong federal governments.
Federal states could exercise independent economic programs and policies and pursue economic relations with other countries it is likely that in pursuance of exploiting natural resources the federal states could allow foreign ownership of lands whether solely or in partnership with the federal state or a local private entity.
Corresponding with the reality of patronage politics and local rule of political dynasties, the tradition of weak party system in the Philippines is another drawback for federalism.
Thwart the latest plot to extend GMA’s hold to power .
Malacañang’s seemingly benevolent line of federalism as road to peace in Mindanao is but a smoke-screen for GMA rule extension. Peace in Mindanao has been compromised not by Supreme Court’s TRO of the August 5 signing of the MoA between GRP-MILF. Peace in Mindanao has long been compromised and further compromised when the GMA regime opened the island to US military forces from 2002. US military presence and operations in Mindanao through the so-called Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTFP) has veritably made the island, starting from the Sulu Archipelago, a US war zone.
The “anti-terrorist” cover has since then revealed the more ostensible design of establishing US military facilities not only to secure the enlarging American, Australian, Canadian, Japanese, Malaysian and other foreign economic interests in agri-business, mining and oil and natural gas exploration and exploitation but also to ensure for the US the strategic location of the islands relative to the South China Sea, South Indian Ocean and the strategic sea lanes of Lombok and Makassar Straits in Indonesia and the Sibutu Strait in the Sulu Sea and the Palawan Passage.
How could the Filipinos, including the Bangsamoro people ever realize the right to self-determination with the nation being a US neo-colony and the government exercising dependence and subservience to foreign interests?
The Filipino people have to assert and fight for sovereignty, by defeating the renewed attempt change the charter in order to extend the GMA rule and further open the nation and all its parts to US imperialist and other foreign capitalist plunder.
It is through this struggle that they can determine and chart their future, including the system and structures for their exercise of their unified will.
Malacañang’s henchmen lost no time in renewing its bid for charter change this time riding on the Senate Joint Resolution No. 10 calling for a shift to federal system and the need to legitimize the MoA-AD it signed with the MILF. Meanwhile foreign powers like USA, which has more than a casual interest in Mindanao, have manifested impatience over “democratic process”. It is not important to the US whether it is GMA or somebody else who would oversee the “process” so long as every remaining legal and constitutional obstacle to their interests is finally removed.
The US has taken and is provided the advantage to ensure and secure its own interests by stationing its troops and by actively influencing the outcome of the Mindanao “peace process” in utter disregard and trampling over of the Filipino, including the Bangsamoro, people’s sovereignty.
There is therefore now a meeting of interests in the move to change the Philippine charter. The GMA reactionary regime is bent and earnest in taking this opportunity to keep hold of power.
The federal shift for “peace”.
The federal way “to ensure peace” is Malacañang’s rhetoric; the real thing is further conflict. The character of ruling class politics here and US intervention overshadow the restructuring to the federal system.
In truth, federalism is not the main issue; the question is the interests that would benefit from this system given the prevailing conditions in the Philippines. System-shift via charter-change under the despicable GMA regime, whose desire to stay in power is obvious, already grabs away from federalism its merits.
Moreover, the reality that Philippines politics is based on patronage politics exercised by local dynasties will prove federalism disastrous to the Filipino people in general and advantageous to local ruling classes in particular. Furthermore, the benefits of this system for local political lords could fuel further conflict among and within political clans and in the process dragging the people into their fray.
Under the present unitary system the contest for power among members of the ruling class is most intense at the local levels. Given increased powers in a federal system their contests would be more severe, bloodier and at greater financial and social cost. Already, new and old political dynasties registered strong resurgence in 2004 and stronger in 2007. Even the latest ARMM results, do not deviate from this trend, entrenching further traditional politicos especially those with close ties to the Palace. The character of the GMA regime-- rewarding or buying the support of local political clans that include the worst types—warlords, despotic landlords and land-grabbers, real estate and finance speculators, smugglers and gambling lords--; the most corrupt, vicious and subservient but self-serving of military and police generals; and an equally corrupt and corruptible cabinet and national bureaucracy heralds the kind of federalism the Philippines could ever have.
If the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) is model or blueprint for the Philippine federal system, we could expect the re-division of the Philippines into 11 or so federal states alone would entail a protracted battle among local elites for their economic, especially landed, interests and control.
Advocacy for federalism in the Philippines has gained much support especially in Mindanao. But however its merits, the federal system could never ensure peace or progress in Mindanao or the whole Philippines. As exemplified by the BJE, the Philippine Federal system would have a weak central government and strong federal governments.
Federal states could exercise independent economic programs and policies and pursue economic relations with other countries it is likely that in pursuance of exploiting natural resources the federal states could allow foreign ownership of lands whether solely or in partnership with the federal state or a local private entity.
Corresponding with the reality of patronage politics and local rule of political dynasties, the tradition of weak party system in the Philippines is another drawback for federalism.
Thwart the latest plot to extend GMA’s hold to power .
Malacañang’s seemingly benevolent line of federalism as road to peace in Mindanao is but a smoke-screen for GMA rule extension. Peace in Mindanao has been compromised not by Supreme Court’s TRO of the August 5 signing of the MoA between GRP-MILF. Peace in Mindanao has long been compromised and further compromised when the GMA regime opened the island to US military forces from 2002. US military presence and operations in Mindanao through the so-called Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTFP) has veritably made the island, starting from the Sulu Archipelago, a US war zone.
The “anti-terrorist” cover has since then revealed the more ostensible design of establishing US military facilities not only to secure the enlarging American, Australian, Canadian, Japanese, Malaysian and other foreign economic interests in agri-business, mining and oil and natural gas exploration and exploitation but also to ensure for the US the strategic location of the islands relative to the South China Sea, South Indian Ocean and the strategic sea lanes of Lombok and Makassar Straits in Indonesia and the Sibutu Strait in the Sulu Sea and the Palawan Passage.
How could the Filipinos, including the Bangsamoro people ever realize the right to self-determination with the nation being a US neo-colony and the government exercising dependence and subservience to foreign interests?
The Filipino people have to assert and fight for sovereignty, by defeating the renewed attempt change the charter in order to extend the GMA rule and further open the nation and all its parts to US imperialist and other foreign capitalist plunder.
It is through this struggle that they can determine and chart their future, including the system and structures for their exercise of their unified will.
