June 7, 2000, The Philippine Star, There was peace in Mindanao during my watch - Ramos, by Liberty Dones

June 7, 2000, The Philippine Star, There was peace in Mindanao during my watch - Ramos, by Liberty Dones

Former President Fidel Ramos denied yesterday that he was to blame for the present war in Mindanao. 

"During our watch, there was peace in Mindanao," he told Lakas-NUCD members during a meeting. Ramos, who has just arrived from a two-week trip to the United States, was reacting to reports that he was partly to blame for the Mindanao problem. He said his administration never recognized the camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). All he did was create the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) to address discontent in Muslim areas, he added. 

Lakas-NUCD spokesman Hernando Perez said Ramos, honorary chairman of the party, was hurt upon hearing that the administration blamed him for the war in Mindanao. 

"He (Ramos) is willing to help if the administration wants him in," Perez said. Ramos knew from the start that the military option should be the last resort in trying to solve the problem in Mindanao, Perez pointed out. "What we can say is that there was no trouble of this magnitude during our time," he said. 

In September 1996, the Ramos administration signed a peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), headed by now Gov. Nur Misuari of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). 

However, reports said that Misuari discredited the government during a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia recently. Misuari reportedly said that autonomy, which he described as much more difficult to achieve than independence, has sown disunity among Muslims. 

Misuari was said to have lobbied for the MNLF to be granted membership in the OIC in place of its present status as observer. 

At the House of Representatives, Bukidnon Rep. Jose Miguel Zubiri said that Misuari should immediately resign if he has decided to advocate the separation of Mindanao from the republic again. "His call for secession of Mindanao runs counter to the Constitution he had sworn to uphold," he said. 

Zubiri said Misuari cannot demand for independence similar to that granted to East Timor because the situation in Mindanao is different from that in the former Indonesian province. 

On the other hand, Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong said that Misuari's statement was "a little premature" because the government had been trying to comply with the terms of the agreement. 

The Muslims' call for self-determination or independence has been "foreclosed" after they accepted the SPCPD, which took the place of a provisional government, he added.