October 8, 2011 - Minority Care international, in Collaboration with Minority Care international Students Association (MCISA) at Davao City, hosted Attorney Mary Ann Arnado. Attorney Arnado's talk was a part of the MCISA Weekly study forum program titled " Current Peace Negotiation Between MILF and Philippines Government.' The purpose of the talk was to emphasize the necessity of the peace in Mindanao, dialogue between Government and MILF and to make the youth even more welcoming and supportive environment for all.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them." Everything has a price, especially when it comes to peace, because it always comes at a heavy cost. The greater block to peacemaking is fear. Fear makes us see ourselves as victims. Peace, however, is a constructive effort, one that happens gradually. It takes time and effort to build peace. By contrast, it takes only a second to destroy it, and it is easy to lose peace, that which has been so hard to build.

Embracing peace does not mean that we always avoid problems, but we recognize its real costs and that those costs will somehow be paid by ourselves and our loved ones. Thus, peace making is a process. The world, and especially Mindanao, needs such a process. What is the price we have to pay for a sustainable peace? What compromises should the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine Government (GPH) make for the sake of peace? Whose duty is it to maintain peace in order to make it long and lasting? What if the MILF and the GPH are no longer managing the peace? Then who is in charge of keeping peace possible and lasting in Mindanao? Is it civil society that can play a crucial role in peace building and that has the ability to facilitate constructive social relations between the MILF and the Philippines government?

Attorney Mary Ann Arnado: Secretary General of the MPC

The Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) is a grassroots network of indigenous peoples, Bangsamoro, and Christian communities and leaders who have a common vision for peace in Mindanao. MPC is known to have stood up for the struggle finally to resolve the age-old armed conflict in Mindanao through a negotiated political settlement that contains the essentials acceptable to both negotiating parties and that addresses the historical oppression and forced marginalization of the native inhabitants and indigenous peoples of this island. As such, MPC is actively working for the strengthening of the participation and engagement of tribal peoples' grassroots constituency in the Mindanao peace process so as to allow their recognition as self-determining people who can develop and govern themselves in the economic, political, social, and spiritual spheres of development.

One such sphere is the formation of its independent ceasefire mechanism known as the "Bantay Ceasefire," which gained recognition and respect among the formal ceasefire mechanisms of both the government and the MILF. The Bantay Ceasefire is composed of more than 600 volunteers, from Basilan, Lanao provinces, Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Compostela Valley and Sulu, who are actively monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

The Philippine government has been proposing an enhanced autonomy to address the conflict in southern Philippines. The MILF, on the other hand, is asking for a sub-state where Bangsamoro people will run their own government but still be under the Philippine government. The Philippine government proposed a "3 for 1" solution in the form of massive economic development, a peace accord, and cultural and historical acknowledgement. As a political solution, the MILF has said it is no longer asking for independence and neither will it settle for the status quo form of the Muslim Autonomous Region (ARMM).

It is somehow between independence and autonomy on a spectrum of possibilities of self-governance, such as federalism in which coequal states are created to form a federal republic pulled together by the federal government. The MILF proposed a "sub-state," which accorded semi-federal status to one unit. The core issues up for discussions are the power of the government, natural resources, and ancestral domains, and the geographic culture of autonomy.

Regarding the governance, the MILF and the Philippine government are of one mind that powers relating to foreign affairs, national defense, postal service, coinage and monetary policies, citizenship and naturalization, global trade and national taxation shall remain with the national government. What remains and needs to be negotiated are: administration of justice, quarantine, customs and tariffs, general auditing, national elections, maritime authority, land and air transportation and communication, and patents and copyrights.

Regarding the ancestral domain issue, the Government and the MILF are more or less in agreement that vested property rights shall be protected even if agrarian and ancestral domains are duly recognized. The Government proposal is open to co- management and wealth sharing. The annexed lists of municipalities and barangays for possible inclusion in the Moros' domain caused much of the opposition to the 2008 Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain. According to Attorney Ann peace building starts with the individual, because we all have a part to play.

Attorney Mary Ann Arnado: Her Advocacy

Attorney Arnado has passion for peace with humility and professionalism in pursuing the peace in Mindanao. A feminist, peace advocate, human rights advocate, mother, sister and Mindanaoan are all pieces of who she is. Attorney Arnado's story of dedication, courage, preference, critical thinking and resourcefulness to mobilize marginalized indigenous communities inspires and encourages other specially youth to engage peacemaking with the same reverence. We are thankful to Attorney Mary Ann Arnado for sharing her experiences at this week's Minority Care International (MCI) Study Forum on the ongoing peace negotiations between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Philippine Government.