Welcome to the home of Moro Herald. Your source of Bangsamoro News,  History, Tradition, Politics, and Social Commentary.

Making Sense about Development as a Path to Peace in Mindanao

Friday, March 6th, 2009

(Author’s Note: Published in the December 2008 issue of the Bangsamoro Journal)

Development is not the way to peace. It never is. It will never in any way whatsoever build the foundations of lasting peace in Mindanao. The reason is simple. When development is introduced into a community without first tackling governance issues, then justice issues, and subsequently, peace issues, it would more often than not be perceived by those who are receiving it, or to the more aware as a pacification strategy or a “counter-insurgency’ approach by those doing the development interventions. Development as a “stand alone”, or as a first intervention to troubled areas, would be seen as something that would “fill up the stomachs and the pockets” of the people so that the injustices of the past would be forgotten. (more…)

06.03.2009 Moro News, Politics, Society No Comments

MINDANAO YSPEAK – YMPN Don Loong Speak

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Don Loong discussed and tackled 6 major issues in his presentation discussed during the Young Moro Professionals Network roundtable in Zamboanga City and dozens of other dialogues among Young Moros and other stakeholders national and local. AIM Bridging leadership concepts such as multi-stakeholder approach, systems thinking, force field analysis was used to see the relationships among the major issues.

27.02.2009 Moro News No Comments

WHY I WILL NOT VOTE FOR CHIZ, KIKO AND MAR

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

In the beginning I really thought that these political mavericks really had what it takes to turn the Philippines around. I was wrong. Like all the rest of the lot, they have blinkers on their eyes and cannot see “outside the box” when treating the Bangsamoro issue. Like all the rest, they would die if you even speak of “tampering” their beloved Constitution to accommodate the centuries old struggle of the Bangsamoro to regain their Right to Self Determination. Like all the rest, they cannot get it through their brains what it means to have enjoyed sovereignty long before the establishment of the Malolos Republic. Like the rest, they will never understand that not once in their Philippine history did the Bangsamoro feel belonged. Like the rest, their history is myopically stuck “from Magellan onwards” and never before that (thanks to historians Zaide and Guerrero for bringing Filipino leaders up with a deep seated bias against “much older minorities”). Like the rest, they “grandstand” their positions about critical issues (like the MOA-AD) to increase public support and either secure their political preeminence and/or their presidential ambitions (if any) And so, therefore, like the rest, they should be treated like diapers, which we would need to replace as often for the same reasons. Amen.

29.01.2009 Politics 2 Comments

Is the Moro Vote significant to a 2010 presidential candidate?

Monday, January 26th, 2009

The 2010 presidential elections is already in the air… you can smell it. Even my students who are political naivete’s have all started commenting on the issue. As a scholar and intellectual, one cannot but help if indeed these politicians have something in mind for the Future.

We know for a fact that by these time, Politicos have already mapped out the terrain, making shady deals, worshipping lizards, hanging Tarzans and even allowing themselves TV coverage, praying in Quiapo. WOW!

But for the moment before we start our sharp pen aiming for their necks let us have a discourse on what the people of Mindanao would expect.

I would like to pose a question, Is the Moro Vote significant to a 2010 presidential candidate?

Although we know that TEAM GLORIA relies much on central mindanao votes previously and that all political operators submerge themselves in the cash-strapped ARMM and Moro dominated provinces, little is there any news of any presidentiable trying to actually win the hearts and minds of the Moros. I dont mind asking if the ARMM people still aim to “vote” again for another administration candidate. But perhaps a genuine discourse on the Mindanao Issue can guarantee, the actual votes being cast for “Fulan” (presidentiable). Thinsg like, do you really like to have a federal form of government? would Fulan like to have another form of MOA AD signed? would he allow the setup of a government model simmilar to the federation of malaysian states? would he allow again malaysia to assist him in negotiating Peace, or allow China to help. Or Allow Barack Obama to help in establishing lasting peace in Mindanao. Your guess is as good as mine for Fulan Bin Fulan.

26.01.2009 Politics 1 Comment

Hello world!

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

25.01.2009 Business and Economy, History, Islam, Lifestyle, Moro News, Philippine News, Politics, Science & Technology, Society, World News 1 Comment

Are the Moros Filipinos?

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

By: Mohd. Musib M. Buat

No. They are not ‘Filipinos’ but they are ‘Philippine Citizens’ by operation of law. And how did that happen? It’s a long story. But let me first narrate its historical antecedents before I will talk about the issue on ‘Citizenship’.

Historical Antecedents

The Moros were once free and independent people under the suzerainty of their sultanates with a definite territory or homeland as recognized under various treaties with foreign powers like Spain, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. The Moro sultanates, kingdoms and principalities at the time were known as karajaan or kadatuan  (negeri in Malay), endowed with all the elements of a nation-state in the modern legal sense. They conducted foreign trade and commerce and diplomatic relations and entered into treaties of peace and amity, trade and commercial relations with their Asian neighbors as well as various European powers. (more…)

25.11.2008 Bangsamoro 3 Comments

Thank you, Supreme Court of the Philippines

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

By: Atty. Fatimah Bin Guerra

Thank you, Honorable Chief Justice and Associate Justices for showing us how justice works in this country.  Thank you for issuing the TRO on the MOA-AD, for showing to the Filipino people how fast you can actually act upon cases filed by powerful politicians like Emmanuel Piñol and Celso Lobregat.  Indeed, the speediness at which you have acted on this case was extraordinary and phenomenal.  In 3 months time, you have struck down a document which took more than 10 years of painstaking negotiations to accomplish.

Thank you, too, for helping MILF base Commanders Ameril Ombra Kato and Bravo recruit more fighters and supporters.  Your decision vindicated what they have always believed from the very beginning — that this government will never be sincere in talking peace with the Bangsamoro people.  Now we are faced with the world’s longest running armed conflict that sees no resolution in sight.  Thank you for condemning Mindanao as the next Afghanistan or Darfur in Asia. (more…)

11.11.2008 Bangsamoro 2 Comments

The MOA is NOT dead

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

By: Engr. Don Mustapha Arbison Loong

 
The MOA-AD is “dead”. This became the headline in newspapers when the Supreme Court (SC) declared the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) as unconstitutional last October 14, 2008. The “death” of the MOA-AD had divided and polarized the country like never before in recent history. 

The debate on the MOA awakened dormant religious prejudice and discrimination between Muslims and Christians. While the people who were Anti-MOA celebrated, some Moros felt that they had lost something. Some other Moro sectors felt like an “anti-dote” to the Moro problem was deliberately withheld from them. Disillusioned MILF rebels renewed hostilities with the government forces. Suddenly, the dreaded “ilagas” emerge and revived past Muslim-Christian community conflicts. There is so much blissful celebration and emotional retaliation by each side respectively, yet only a few really know the issues involved that was “killed” by the Supreme Court decision.   (more…)

09.11.2008 Bangsamoro No Comments

An Open Letter from the Moro Comrades – On the Allegations Re US Intervention

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Implying that the US intervened in the crafting of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain is one thing, but accusing the Bangsamoro, particularly the Moro Islamic Liberation Front of collusion with the US and the Arroyo administration to serve the interests of both is another thing. It is unbelievable how a letter and a US report can be enough to discredit the Bangsamoro, totally disregarding our own dark history and current resistance against the United States not only as Moros of this country, but more so as Muslims of the world. (more…)

26.08.2008 Bangsamoro 5 Comments

Datu Michael O. Mastura – An Open Letter re: MOA-AD

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

By Datu Michael O. Mastura

Dear All,

We don’t have money to further enrich the national dailies with a whole page AD.  So I do have to settle for alternative media prints “a la pobre”.  But it has the benefit of global interconnectedness.  Here’s my initial salvo to Frank’s ADS on MOA-AD.  I will elaborate my commentary much later.  For the sake of a broader debate, please help circulate this Open Letter on the MOA-AD.

Yours truly,
Datu Michael O. Mastura (more…)

24.08.2008 Bangsamoro 1 Comment

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