AND LOCAL MEDIA REPORTING

THE BANGSAMORO CONFLICTNature of ConflictThe Birth of Separatist GroupsAttempts to solve the problemReporting of the Local Media

7000+1935Bangsamoro Land comprises Sulu, Mindanao, and Palawan, and consists of 25 provinces: Agusan delNorte, Agusan del Sur, Basilan, Bukidnon, Compostela Valley, Cotabato, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Palawan, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay.constitutionislands25provincesTHE BANGSAMORO LANDBangsamoro Land was already a sovereign nation- MNLF

GOVERNMENT: Integration BANGSAMORO : Right to SOME SECTORS: Self- determination Muslim-Christian conflictThe Bangsamoro Liberation War stands out among all conflicts because of its length, that has lasted for 490 years. The struggle continues until today, and the Muslims have formed many groups to fight for their liberation.NATURE OF CONFLICTWhats it all about?

House of Representatives 1954Bangsamoro people as poor and lacking education and training. and this triggers violence in Mindanao.Policy of IntegrationNon-Christian Filipinos and later re-categorized as National Cultural Minorities, is to render real, complete and permanent their integration into the Philippine body politic. Executive Order 122-A as amended by EO 295The integration policy was reframed after President Ferdinand Marcos martial law to emphasize the preservation and development of the culture, traditions, institutions and wellbeing of Muslim Filipinos.PROBLEM OF INTEGRATIONTo the government, it is the problem of integrating the national cultural communities into the body politic

House Bill No. 5682Filed during the Fourth Congress to seek the granting and recognition of the independence of Sulu.Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM)manifesto calling for the independence of Mindanao and Sulu to be known and referred to as the Republic of Mindanaoand Sulu.Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) of 1974the Bangsamoro people...are disbanding all their political,economic and other bonds with the oppressive government of the Philippines, and appealing to the international community to accept the Bangsamoro Republik as one of the members of the family of independent and sovereign nations in the world.SELF-DETERMINATION To the Bangsamoro, the problem is the refusal of the central government to recognize and allow the exercise of their right to self-determination.

Focus on the actors in the conflict, rather than on the issues involved.Religious discourses are sometimes used to win over supporters. MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN CONFLICT

State formation and GovernanceTrade and diplomatic relationsAdministrative and political systemsSulu SultanateMagindanaw SultanateConfederation of the Four Lake-based Emirates

ChinaBefore new political entity, Phil.

Survived the military campaign of Western powersAnnexation of their homeland as illegal and immora

Of Filipinos are biased against Muslims.of their original homeland remains in their possession after several decades of being part of the Philippines.Poverty incidence in 2006. The government failed to deliver basic services and needed development 33% to 39%)1/361.8%SovereigntyHISTORICAL NARRATIVEThe Bangsamoro assertion of self-determination is anchored on historical narrative and consideration of the costs that they pay for being part of the Philippine republic.

Birth of Nur Misuaris Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1969Republic Act 6734 created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) (1989)Muammar Gaddafi brokered an agreement that led to the signing of the Tripoli Agreement (1976) However, out of the 13 provinces and 9 cities that participated in the plebiscite, only the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi opted to be part of the ARMM.

Some factions within the group preferred independence over autonomy; formation of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.1968At least 28 Muslim volunteers from Sulu were killed by government troops in an attempt to cover up the mission's existence, in what would popularly be known as the Jabidah Massacre.BIRTH OF SEPARATIST GROUPS

1957-Commission on National Integration (CNI)Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA)Ministry of Muslim AffairsOffice on Muslim Affairs (OMANational Commission on Muslim Filipinos

INTEGRATION PROGRAMS1961- Mindanao Development Authority (MDA)1970-Presidential Task Force for Reconstruction and Development1992-Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO)2010-Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA)

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

1975- Office of the Regional Commissioner (ORC) for Regions 9 was created by Marcos1977- Marcos declared autonomy in 13 provinces in Mindanao1979-Regions 9 and 12 evolved into political autonomy1989-The ARMM was established1996- Government and the MNLF reached the final agreement on the implementation of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.

AUTONOMY EXPERIMENT1974- The first National Muslim-Christian dialog in Mindanao was held in Zamboanga City1996-Defense Secretary Renato De Villa organized the meeting of ulama and bishops, forming the Bishop-Ulama Forum (BUF)Through the mediation of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the MNLF started in January 1975

INTERFAITH DIALOGSATTEMPTS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM

Lack of participation by the Bangsamoro in the drafting of the Organic Act Problem of representation The ARMM population is composed of several ethno-linguistic groups.Aside from self-determination, the Bangsamoro want to take charge of the preservation and management of their territory. Wealth sharingA Bangsamoro entity cannot be viable without its income base. Subsidy from the central government works counter to the power-sharing principle. NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS ON AUTONOMY

The first film that questions conventional Philippine nationalist discourse

The first film to portray the Bangsa Moro (Moro nation) as a nation, an historical people distinct from the majority the Christian Filipino nation and justifiably seeking self-determination. Sa loob ng maraming siglo, naging mailap ang kapayapaan sa pagitan ng mga Kristiyano at Muslim. Sa Pilipinas, kung saan nakakarami at namamayani ang mga Kristiyano, matagal ng ipinaglalaban ng mga Muslim ang karapatang itaguyod ang kanilang natatanging kultura at pamahalaan ang kanilang sarili.

Arroyo announced that the Memorandum of Agreement on the Muslim Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) would be signed on August 5, 2008.The day before the scheduled signing,the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against the signing of the MOA-AD.The Court eventually voted 9-6 to strike down the MOA-AD as unconstitutional.

ARROYO ADMINISTRATION

GPH, MILF end nego on Framework Agreement to set up BangsamoroBy Carolyn O. Arguillas on October 7 2012 11:39 am

KUALA LUMPUR (MindaNews/07 October) The Philippine government (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will announce before noon today (Sunday) that it has concluded negotiations on the Framework Agreement that will serve as their roadmap in establishing a new autonomous political entity that would honor the dignity of and address the legitimate grievances and claims of the Bangsamoro people.AQUINO ADMINISTRATIONRECENT EFFORTS

Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB)According to the Office on the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process,FAB is a political settlement between the government and the MILF.It defines the structure and powers of the Bangsamoro entity that will replace the Autonomous Region on Muslim Mindanao.It sets the principles, processes and mechanisms for transition until 2016.It is a just resolution of the historical divide between the government and the Bangsamoro.It puts together the points of consensus achieved in the series of talks between the GPH-MILF starting from the ceasefire in 1997.The FAB is NOT YET a final peace agreement. AnnexesThe geographical coverage of the Bangsamoro is the current ARMM provinces and Marawi City, cities of Cotabato and Isabela, the six municipalities of Baloi, Munar, Pantar, Nanungan, Tagaloan and Tangkal in the province of Lanao del Norte, the barangays in six municipalities of North Cotabato that voted for inclusion in ARMM in 2001, other contiguous where there is a resolution for inclusion from LGUs or a petition of at least 10% of qualified voters.Bangsamoro are those who are at the time of conquest or colonization were considered inhabitants of Mindanao and Sulu archipelago and its adjacent islands including Palawan.

CRITICISMS ON LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE CONFLICT FROM Incomplete stories; lack of contextHas tendency to pit Christians against MuslimsUse of loaded languageGiving value to conflict as newsMissing perspectiveIgnoring the historical context of the conflict

From Media at work:Beating the war drums in Mindanao by Ed LingaoThe truth is it is easier to report about war than to report about conflict. Yes, there is a difference between the two kinds of reportage, as any decent and responsible reporter would or should tell you.War coverage is the simplified coverage of violence, where the reporter is relegated to the role of the scorekeeper who lists the number of dead and wounded while keeping his hair in place for that all-too-necessary piece-on-cam. Conflict reporting has to do with understanding why two sides fight, and what it takes to make them talk and find common ground.

From Media at work:Beating the war drums in Mindanao by Ed LingaoThe truth is it is easier to report about war than to report about conflict. Yes, there is a difference between the two kinds of reportage, as any decent and responsible reporter would or should tell you.War coverage is the simplified coverage of violence, where the reporter is relegated to the role of the scorekeeper who lists the number of dead and wounded while keeping his hair in place for that all-too-necessary piece-on-cam. Conflict reporting has to do with understanding why two sides fight, and what it takes to make them talk and find common ground.

MILF goes on a rampage (Star, Oct. 24)No Mercy: 6 soldiers killed in cold blood (Bulletin, Oct. 20)Mga naulila ng mga napatay na sundalo, naghihintay na sa kanilang mahal sa buhay [Families of the soldiers in action wait for their loved ones], (Saksi, Oct. 20)Habang binababa ang bangkay ng mga sundalo, biglang naghuramentado ang isang babaeng bitbit ang isang itak, asawa siya ng isa sa walong mga rebelde na napatay din sa engkwentro. Nagwala rin ang kanyang anak (While the soldiers were being brought down, a woman carrying a bolo knife ran amok. She was the wife of one of the eight rebels killed in the encounter. Her child was also enraged). (Bandila, Oct. 19)

TV Patrol polls on Oct. 20 and 21:Dapat na bang suspendihin ng gobyerno ang peace talks at magdeklara ng all-out war laban sa MILF (Should the government suspend peace talks and declare an all-out war against the MILF)?A: Oo (Yes, 97 percent)B. Hindi (No, 3 percent)Sa kabila ng panibagong mga pag-atake ng MILF sa mga sundalo sa Zamboanga, sang-ayon ba kayo sa desisyon ng Pang.Aquino na huwag lusubin ang kampo ng MILF sa Al-Barka (Despite the recent MILF attacks against soldiers in Zamboanga, do you agree with the decision of President Aquino not to attack the MILF camp in Al-Barka)?A: Oo (Yes, 11 percent)B. Hindi (No, 89 percent)

Sources:Lingga, Abhoud Syed M. The Philippine-Bangsamoro Conflict

Center for Strategy, Enterprise & Intelligence The CenSEI Report Volume 2 - Number 13 April 2-8, 2012

The GRP-MILF MOA on Ancestral Domain. pcdspo.gov.ph

Lingao, Ed. Media at work: Beating the war drums in Mindanao. PJR Reports, November-December 2011. http://www.cmfr-phil.org/2012/01/09/media-at-workbeating-the-war-drums-in-mindanao/

Lidasan, Amirah Ali. Media can help build peace in Mindanao. PJR Reports October-December 2012. http://www.cmfr-phil.org/2013/02/20/media-can-help-build-peace-in-mindanao/

Raymundo, Kathryn Roja G. Media warmongering: Press calls for more violence in Mindanao. PJR Reports, November-December 2011