We are focusing on our debacle with China (and rightly so!!) forgetting the imminent danger to our sovereignty rights down south and that there is a realistic danger that we will find our Republic with two main provinces instead of three very soon -- and it is happening before our very own eyes!
You see, in the run up to the "new political entity" that is being designed in the soon-to-be-carved Mindanao, the Republic and the MILF will "power-share" almost everything (outlined in the Decision Points signed by the triumvirate Chief Philippine Appeaser and Peacenicker Mr Marvic Leonen, Chief Rebel and MILF Chair Mr Iqbal and Facilitator and Chief Trouble Maker Tengku Mohammed of Malaysia), but the following are reserved for the State:
(a) defence and external security,
(b) foreign policy,
(c) common market and global trade (Malaysia will be exlaiming "Yeeeehaaa! on this specific sub-point no doubt)
(d) coinage and monetary policy,
(e) citizenship and naturalisation (good heavens! Does that mean that many of us can opt for MILF passports soon???),
(f) postal service.
Fine!!! But where the State is expected to exercise sovereignty and ensure protection of the citizens of the republic is not clear because there IS NO MENTION OF internal security. And why was that omitted? Easy to surmise that someone, somewhere in that "peace talks panel" objected vehemently to power sharing in matters related to internal security -- a prelude to that new "political entity" (as detailed in Decision Point number 7) being off limits to the Armed Forces of the Republic of the Philippines.
The absence of "internal security" point is rather alarming.
But hey, things seem to be headed the MILF way (and by extension, Malaysia way), i.e., power sharing. The prospect of independence for a vast part of Mindanao may just be in the horizon and soon the MILF may be empowered to naturalise non-Filipinos and award MILF Republic citizenship which may just be an advantage to those who believe that their Filipino passport ain't good enough... they could then opt for an MILF Republic passport!
NB: Extrapolation based on letter by Ustadz/Prof. SHARIFF MOHSIN JULABBI, who signed as Amer/Chairman, MILF-BMA TO THEN MALAYSIA PRIME MINISTER on 1st September 2004; extracts below (highlights ours):
At this juncture, only two options hereunder have been left for us and we are required already to decide and choose our prerogative, by all means:
1) Return back Sabah to its rightful owners and be under the Federation of Malaysia as a compromise. We are considerate enough; we believe it is a win-win solution more appropriate to both Malays Bomeputra and the Suluans as brothers of the same religion. Allah says: “Muslims are just a single brotherhood.
2) The cessation or disintegration of the entire Sulu Archipelago to include Zamboanga Peninsula, Palawan and North Borneo (Sabah) from both the Philippine Republic and the Federation of Malaysia and be created an Independent State as Sultanate of Sulu & North Borneo with her own government and sovereignty.
To avoid bloodshed and for legal purposes, all past Treaties entered into between the US Governments and the Sulu & North Borneo Sultans be used as vital instruments for the creation of such State. Otherwise, worse will come to worse, God forbid. We should get lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan which are severely devastated now owing to the obstinacy and stubbornness of their leaders who imposed tyrant rules and dictatorship just for personal aggrandizement. These are all charged to experience. I am confident that relinquishing Sabah to her legitimate owners is inevitable.
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