YES TO PEACE, NO TO BBL MANIFESTO

Former DILG chief with some members of FORMA

On Sunday, 24th May, beginning at 8 AM, Rafael Alunan III, former Interior and Local Govenment secretary will be leading a prayer rally at the Luneta Park in Manila under the banner of 'Yes to Peace, No to BBL.'  As the country faces grave threats to its sovereignty, Rafael Alunan III, one of the major state actors who helped paved the way for the PH government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to reach a peace deal in 1996, has emerged as the strongest champion of national cohesion and is widely recognised today as the most fearless advocate for maintaining the country's territorial integrity. ~~ Blog Administrator

MANIFESTO
By Rafael M. Alunan III
22 May 2015
 
MAY 24 YES TO PEACE, NO TO THE BBL PRAYER RALLY 8 A.M. SUNDAY AT THE LUNETA PARK
YES TO PEACE. NO TO THE BANGSAMORO BASIC LAW!  
Retain and Strengthen the ARMM and Local Autonomy.

Today, we find our nation in peril and our democratic way of life under threat, both externally and from within. All too often, the common good and national interests are sacrificed on the altar of political expediency, corruption and self-serving hidden agendas.

Nowhere is this disconnect from reality more pronounced than on the issue of the “peace process” undertaken exclusively with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that produced the Comprehensive Agreement on BangsaMoro (CAB), and the BangsaMoro Basic Law (BBL), a proposed bill that seeks to replace R.A. 6734 that created the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

We believe that a significant majority in Mindanao, and around the country, opposes the CAB-BBL because the process was not transparent, inclusive and thoroughly consultative, not unlike the MOA-AD that the CAB mirrors, which the Supreme Court struck down during the term of former president Gloria Arroyo.

Yet, government has chosen to ignore the people’s dire warnings so far to change course in order to achieve real peace. It continues to press for its passage not later than June 2015. The Aquino administration is subsequently violating the Tripoli Agreement and dismissing the 1996 peace agreement between the government and the MNLF.

We are a group of Filipino citizens from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that oppose the BBL for the following reasons:

1. MALAYSIA: The choice of Malaysia as third party mediator was ludicrous because it is conflicted. Malaysia opposes our Sabah claim and has persistently undermined our nation's stability as a state that funded, organized and trained secessionist groups – originally the MNLF and, subsequently, the MILF.

2. BASIC LAW: The nomenclature BangsaMoro Basic Law (BBL) is in itself, a thinly veiled attempt at usurping the constitution. "Basic Law" connotes a constitution of a state, in this case, the BangsaMoro, to which all laws must conform.

3. BANGSAMORO TERRITORY: Sec 2 to 5, Art III of the BBL defines the BangsaMoro Territory and suggests a separate territorial enclave within sovereign Philippine territory. It aims to give a homeland to a group that does not represent the hopes and aspirations of excluded sectors and infested with Islamist radicals connected to the global jihadist movement under a caliphate.

4. SELF-GOVERNANCE AND RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION: Sec 1 Art IV speaks of self-governance. Later on, the “RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION" was inserted showing manifest bad faith on the part of the MILF. The intent cannot be mistaken for anything but a prelude to a subsequent declaration of independence or secession.

5. A PARLIAMENTARY FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Sec 2 Art IV of the BBL prescribes a parliamentary form of government that contravenes Section 1 Art 2 and Sec 1 Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, which mandate a Republican and Presidential form of government.

6. BANGSAMORO POLICE AND BANGSAMORO COMMAND: Sec 2 Art XI creates a BangsaMoro Police, while Sec 15 Art XI establishes a BangsaMoro Command both of which will nominally be part of the PNP and AFP. Their creation constitutes a duplication of sovereign prerogatives, violating Section 3 Article II and Section 6 Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution, which recognize the AFP as the sole bearer of military arms and the PNP as the sole security apparatus of the state, respectively.

7. BANGSAMORO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES: The provisions creating a Civil Service (Sec 2 par. 1.8 Art. V); a Police Board equivalent to the NAPOLCOM (Sec 5 Art XI); a Commission on Human Rights (Sec 7 Art IX); a Public Attorney’s Office and Prosecution Service (Sec 18-19 Art X); a Commission on Audit (Sec 2 Art XII); a Tax Office (Sec.11 Art XII), and a Sharia Judicial and Bar Council (Sec 10 Art 10X), can only be viewed as a clear usurpation and duplication of sovereign functions and powers.

8. WALI: Sec 1 Art VIII of the BBL, creating the position of WALI or titular head of the BangsaMoro that mirrors the role of a head of state.

9. RELATIONS WITH THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT: Sec 1-2 Art VI imposes an “Asymmetric Relationship” and “Parity of Esteem” to govern relations between the proposed entity and the Central government giving the former equal status and parity with the latter. With all the elements of a state virtually granted and guaranteed by the proposed basic law (people, sovereignty, territory and government) the BBL will create a parallel state and can lead to no other conclusion other than an eventual bid by the MILF at independence.

10. PEACE PROCESS: We have reason to believe that the process that was undertaken that led to the signing of the CAB was furtive, not unlike the process that the Arroyo Administration chose to take in trying to obtain public approval for the unlamented MOA-AD. Contrary to this administration’s claims, the peace panel chose to be exclusionary and failed to undertake extensive, open and transparent consultations of all stakeholders within the area of interest. The MOA-AD was brought before the Supreme Court where it was struck down for all the reasons mentioned. The same should be done to the CAB-BBL.

11. INTERNAL SECURITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY: The recent massacre of forty-four (44) PNP Special Action Force law enforcers by the MILF-BIFF and other sympathetic armed groups, has thrown the MILF-BIFF’s sincerity and trustworthiness further into question. The MILF-BIFF is connected to the global jihadist movement, mainly Al Qaeda and Jema’ah Islamiya. Its alleged breakaway group, the BangsaMoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), has reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS. The MILF and BIFF were co-located in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that provided safe harbor to international terrorists with bounties on their heads – Marwan and Usman. Granting the MILF a homeland is akin to putting a revolver to our heads and playing Russian roulette. Retired Supreme Court Justice Florentino Feliciano said he does not believe the BBL alone can bring peace to Mindanao. The peace problem in Mindanao he said “cannot be whisked away by uttering the word 'peace' no matter how often or loudly the utterance might be.”

12. CULTURE: BBL proponents say that ARMM was a “failed experiment” citing the regional government’s failure to reverse its feudalistic practices, poverty, economic backwardness, rebellion, terror and revenge killings. Changing the political system is the recommended solution to its cultural problem. ARMM’s creation was not an experiment. Its failure lies not in the political system but in the attitudes, behavior and skills of the people. Breaking the vicious cycle requires persistent and sufficient investments in capacity and capability building especially in the tenets of good governance. This is the real solution to the failure of governance in ARMM. If the driver keeps crashing the car, the solution is to retrain the driver instead of changing the car.

13. Social Justice: Proponents say that the BBL addresses the centuries of social injustice suffered by the Muslims in Mindanao. Social injustice, we maintain, is a national concern that has bred armed rebellions and social discontent around the country. Feudalistic practices and the revenge culture are causes of social injustice. So is exclusion that the incumbent administration is accused of. In summary, the BBL betrays the public trust, violates the Constitution; undermines Philippine sovereignty and places public safety and internal security at grave risk. While the incumbent administration maintains that peace in Mindanao will be outgrowth of the BBL, we believe otherwise.

The BBL will be the nation’s undoing. It will inflict more violence and bloodshed; and usher in the country’s eventual disintegration. Every Filipino seeks an enduring peace, but not one obtained furtively and ignores the red flags that could further fragment society, dismember the country and cause more bloodshed. The Comprehensive Agreeement on BangsaMoro and the Bangsamoro Basic Law (CAB-BBL), as signed and originally submitted to Congress, respectively, should be stoutly opposed and rejected. We implore you, our people’s representatives, to do what is right for the sake of our people and the nation’s future.

~~~~O~~~~~

Gising mga Muslim! Ang may pag-iisip ay nag-iisip!

"Dahil ang hangad ng Malaysia ay ang yamang langis at yamang likas mula sa mayamang lupa at dagat ng Mindanao. Magsisilbi itong anihan ng yaman para sa mamamayan ng Malaysia sa kanilang pangangailangang mina mula sa lupa, pagkaing halaw sa bukid at isdang galing sa dagat ng Mindanao."

 

By E. S. Cruz
For FORMA - Friends of Rafael Alunan III
20 May 2015

Alam lamang ng Muslim Mindanao ang laban sa kuffar (Christians/Manila). Ang tunay nilang kaaway ay Malaysia kahit isa itong bansang Muslim.
 
Dahil ang hangad ng Malaysia ay ang yamang langis at yamang likas mula sa mayamang lupa at dagat ng Mindanao. Magsisilbi itong anihan ng yaman para sa mamamayan ng Malaysia sa kanilang pangangailangang mina mula sa lupa, pagkaing halaw sa bukid at isdang galing sa dagat ng Mindanao. Ipinain ng Malaysia ang Muslim Mindanao sa laban sa gobyerno upang manghinawa ang Muslim Mindanao sa kakayahang mamuno at magbigay ng sagot ng gobyernong Pilipinas sa pangangailangan ng Mindanao. 
 
Ngayon ay ipinalalabas na 'Peace' o Katahimikan sa pag ayon ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas sa lihim na hangarin ng Malaysia; ang tuluyang paghiwalay ng Mindanao sa Pilipinas at pagsanib sa Malaysia
 
Gising mga Muslim! Ang may pag-iisip ay nag-iisip. May mga bagay ng hindi ninyo gusto subalit makabubuti sa inyo at may mga bagay na inyong gusto subalit makasasama sa inyo.

Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 216
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Fighting is prescribed for you and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth and ye know not.

Quf al BBL wa Sabru!
 
Itigil ang BBL at maghintay. Stop BBL and Wait!
 
Ang Malaysia ay magnanakaw!/ Malaysia al harami'l kubra!
 
Ninanakaw ng Malaysia and lupa at langis ng Sabah!
 
Isusunod ng Malaysia ang pagnanakaw sa Mindanao!

~~~~O~~~~

The author, an administrator of FORMA - Friends of Rafael Alunan III, is Muslim and is a staunch advocate of "YES TO PEACE! NO TO BBL" Movement.

I ACCUSE GENERAL CATAPANG OF BEING A MORAL COWARD BECAUSE HE DID NOT DARE GIVE THE ORDER

GENERAL CATAPANG

"There's one thing that a senior military commander cannot be and that is to be a moral coward. That is why senior military people are held in so much esteem throughout the world because senior military commanders are expected to make difficult decisions and give orders in the face of extreme stress or pressures and with huge moral implication because they pertain to life and death."


By Anne de Bretagne
for the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum
and for the Defenders of Philippine Sabah & Spratly Claims
13 February 2015

General Catapang, chief-of-staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines said that 'he did not inform President Aquino about the clash Mamasapano clash although they were aware of it and they were with him all day on January 25' nor of a request for reinforcement at the height of the deadly encounter with the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Liberation Front forces that cost the lives of 44 officers and men of the PNP-Special Action Force. Actually the minute Catapang did not inform the president, he should have realised that he was already MAKING a command decision and that decision entailed COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY. He should be relieved.

Obviously, General Catapang (translated in Pilipino, 'catapang' means 'so brave') acted that way because he had "read" Noynoy's wishy-washy body language and admitted that he knew of the president's position, i.e., MILF first, that the so-called peace agreement 'should not be jeopardised' so he did not make a move nor provide reinforcement. What a disaster!

Catapang should have set aside all that and moved! After all, without a direct order from the president for the AFP NOT TO MOVE, i.e., that AFP was not to provide reinforcement no matter what, Catapang should have made his own command decision to provide reinforcement... He had those four stars to use as commander of the entire military at that specific instance. IT WAS REALLY NOT DIFFICULT TO MAKE A COMMAND DECISION at that specific moment: shots were fired and being fired, help was being asked for, people were obviously dying and would die still!

I still can't believe that General Catapang could even dare declare that the AFP gave no artillery support to SAF to avoid 'war' with the MILF There they were, the PNP-SAFs being shot at and being killed by combined MILF-BIFF rebel forces, were clearly under war-like attack, needing urgent troop reinforcement and at the very least, small artillery support, eg., mortars, but Catapang withheld that support for what? To avoid war with the MILF? Avoid war with the MILF? But the MILF-BIFF were already killing your brothers-in-arms, General!

General Catapang, how do you expect men to obey your command in the future, fight for you and even prepare to die for you if they believe they might not get the support they need when they ask for it during the heat of a battle because of some dubious political consideration?

They were killing your brothers-in-arms, General! How could you not have sent reinforcement and not given them small artillery support?

Catapang, a military officer that he is, should have realised that THE PEACE AGREEMENT WAS BEING BROKEN AT THAT VERY MOMENT and that by staying mum, doing nothing could not spell anything but bad poor, execrable military commander's judgement. He knows and must have known as a four-star general that the minute shots were fired, the CEASEFIRE WAS BROKEN! Hence, there was nothing holding back the Armed Forces of the Philippines from providing reinforcement to their beleaguered colleagues in the face of the enemy.

Therefore, to have refused to provide reinforcement to his beleaguered brothers-in-arms, clearly under attack, was a violation of the moral code of conduct of any serving military officer. This four-star officer should be stripped of his stars and be sacked!

But who will sack him? President Noynoy Aquino? The commander in chief, who believes that he has no command responsibility for what happened? The commander in chief who has no clue that the minute he ordered the other troops to stand down, he was in fact taking DIRECT OPERATIONAL CONTROL and therefore assumed direct and full responsibility for the murder of those SAF44... So, never mind Noynoy. He is useless!

As ever, military officers, even if they happen to have four shiny golden stars on those broad or narrow shoulders (in the case of Catapang), are only as good as their ability -- or inability, to be good and brave officers and commanders when the going gets tough. But there's one thing that a senior military commander cannot be and that is to be a moral coward. That is why senior military people are held in so much esteem throughout the world because senior military commanders are expected to make difficult decisions and give orders in the face of extreme stress and with huge moral implication because they pertain to life and death.

I accuse General Catapang of being a moral coward, an execrable senior military officer and poor commander!

~~~~O~~~~


Mamasapano clash: Who told Aquino when?

Just and lasting peace talks require laying down of weapons

"But before a just and lasting final peace agreement can be achieved, the MILF must lay down their weapons -- a 'condition sine qua non', surrender the murderers of the PNP-SAF44 and recognise and submit to the laws of the Republic. Without these actions in good faith by the MILF, all these talks about wanting peace are useless."



By Anne de Bretagne
for the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum
and for the Defenders of the Philippine Sabah & Spratly Claims
12 February 2015


Mr Iqbal,

First of all, thank you for appearing before the nation.

You said before the Congress Mamamsapano hearing today Congress Mamamsapano hearing today that:  

"...the peace process is important to us – and to everybody. It has brought us the promise of a good life for our people – free from fear, want, and discrimination. It contains our hopes and our dreams – it is not for us, for our children. We have waited for this opportunity for 17 years. We promised our people that peace will be our legacy. We seek your help in making this promise possible. We cannot do it by ourselves. We ask you to help us live in peace."

If you are sincere -- which we'd like desperately to believe you are -- I can assure you that my friends and I, as well as thousands of members of the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum, want peace as much as the MILF wants and needs it. 

But we are not convinced today nor will we be convinced tomorrow that the MILF, a revolutionary organisation which you admitted it is and which, furthermore, is sufficiently armed to dismember the Republic, needs the Bangsamoro Basic Law to achieve it.

Your revolutionary organisation and all state actors involved in this peace process need to go back to the drawing table and re-start the drafting of a final peace agreement that will not violate the Constitution but draw one which will serve, what you say, the MILF's desire for just and lasting peace. 

But before a just and lasting final peace agreement can be achieved, the MILF must lay down their weapons, a 'condition sine qua non', surrender the murderers of the PNP-SAF44 and recognise and submit to the laws of the Republic. Without these actions in good faith by the MILF, all these talks about wanting peace are useless.

In fine, I would like you to answer one of the questions posed by a member of the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum:

"If Mr. Iqbal said that MILF and BIFF are 2 different organizations...so, they do not work together, meaning they are a separate group. So, what gives the MILF the right to talk with the Government in the name of all Bangsamoro if he already said that they are different groups.

"Why [does] the govt. allow MILF to represent the whole Bangsamoro? If our Govt. will ever talk about peace, let it be based on the equality of all and not only for the benefit of one side. Only one law and no special power to anyone, no exemption, no armed group except the AFP."

Thank you. Deus vult.

~~~~O~~~~




FULL TEXT OF MR IQBAL'S STATEMENT AT THE MAMASAPANO HEARING 
12 February 2015

Let me speak straight from the heart.

First, the encounter between the MILF and the SAF was an unfortunate encounter. It was something that nobody planned or wanted. We thought that we have effective protocols and mechanisms in place that would prevent things like these from happening. In the end, 44 SAF, 18 MILF, and many more died in that encounter. We must honor them by making sure that their sacrifice would not be in vain. While we cannot change the past, we can do something in the future. We can work together to make sure that something like this will not happen again. Thus, we are already investigating the conduct of our men during that encounter to see it anyone violated the rules of conduct.

Second, the MILF was not the only group that was present in the area. The SAF fought other armed individuals belonging to different networks and groups – BIFF, private armed groups, local militias, etc. The delicate task of finding out who did what, especially the reported atrocities, cannot immediately be blamed on the MILF. That would be unfair. We need to investigate. On the part of the MILF, aside from our own investigation, we push for a truly independent group that would conduct a fair and impartial investigation of the incident.

Third, the MILF was immediately working to effect the ceasefire as early as 6:30 in the morning. But because of the limitations in communications and because of the on-ground situation of battle, the ceasefire was obtained only in the afternoon. MILF members who were part of the joint ceasefire committee risked their lives to effect the ceasefire. We were trying to save those men.

Fourth, credit must be given where credit is due. Through the efforts of the MILF, 28 SAF were rescued from imminent death that day. The 28 SAF were part of the first team and holed up in an area one kilometer northeast of Tukanalipao. They were already being fired upon by unidentified armed groups. The 28 SAF are alive today because of the efforts of the MILF and finally, it is the will of God.

Fifth, the MILF is against all forms of terrorism. We have made a solemn vow to fight terrorism in our areas. Terrorism is consistent with Islam and has no place in the orientation and principles of the MILF. Our previous actions bear witness to our commitment against terrorism. To tag the MILF as a terrorist group is unfair.

Sixth, the MILF did not harbor Marwan or Usman. The MILF has no links with these terrorists and terrorist organizations. Marwan or Usman were in areas outside the MILF-controlled areas.

Seventh, the MILF and the BIFF are different organizations. We do not share the same goals and objectives. There is no truth to the allegation that we are conniving with each other.

Eighth, we are committed to peace. We have been in negotiations with the Philippine Government for 17 years. Our present partnership with President Aquino has been durable – there has been no recorded armed hostilities between the government and the MILF since 2011. We signed the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law. Each of these agreements is a testament to our commitment to pursue our objectives through peaceful means.

Ninth, the peace process is important to us – and to everybody. It has brought us the promise of a good life for our people – free from fear, want, and discrimination. It contains our hopes and our dreams – it is not for us, for our children. We have waited for this opportunity for 17 years. We promised our people that peace will be our legacy. We seek your help in making this promise possible. We cannot do it by ourselves. We ask you to help us live in peace.

Finally, justice is at the core of our struggle. We have been seeking justice for a long time. Thousands of our brothers and sisters have died pursuing this cause. We see an opportunity that peace can be established. Please do not let this unfortunate incident be used to derail 17 years of hard work and lessen our resolve for peace and justice. Let peace be our legacy. Let us me partners for peace.

~~~~O~~~~

PNoy to next President: Beat my achievements

"With regard to DAP, he knew it was wrong and only for him to give a lame excuse that he should not be criticized because he used it for the good of the people. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW, NOT EVEN THE PRESIDENT! He did an illegal thing consciously and he cannot just use ignorance as an excuse."

                                                                    
By Marlene D. Howe
For the Sabah Claim Society
July 2, 2014

By the way, I was a PNoy supporter when he ran for presidency and I have passionately debated on his behalf with his detractors here on Facebook. I believed then that his lack of political achievement as a senator and was even caught dozing off few times during senate hearing, will not matter if his heart is in the right place.

Shortly after he was sworn in, the Luneta hostage crisis happened and he was reportedly hiding at Emerald restaurant instead of going out there and taking leadership. I thought that maybe since he was new to his position he was a little distracted and not knowing what to do. So I never voiced out any criticism on him for the first two and a half years of his presidency. But several faux pas after that, I can no longer stand by and keep quiet. So I became one of his vocal critics.

So Pinoy says, "To next President: Beat my achievements
Let's be fair and review some of the promises he made during the campaign such as:

1. Kung walang korap, walang Mahirap. Did he deliver that promise?

2. What about, Tuwid na daan? Did he deliver that promise?

3. What about, Kayo ang Boss ko? Did he listen to the people? Didn't he collude with Malaysia against the majority of voices of the people in and out of social media to stand up to Malaysia and reclaim Sabah for the country and for our Muslim kababayans who were slaughtered in Sabah? Didn't he echo Najib's rhetoric instead of standing by the Sulu Sultanate? Malaysia even used the airline owned by PNoy's cousin to transport their soldiers to Sabah to kill our kababayans from the Sulu Sultanate.

4. What about the funds intended for the military family that his trusted adviser, Butch Abad withheld and later found its way to the president's DAPS? Butch Abad should have been fired right after when his wrongdoing was exposed. I just found out about this yesterday from the wall of Admiral Juan A. Deleon.

5. Didn't PNOY use PDAF as bribe for senators to insure a conviction on Corona?

6. Didn't we lose Scarborough or Panatag Shoal because of the president's ineptitude and naiveté?

7.  With regard to DAP, he knew it was wrong and only for him to give a lame excuse that he should not be criticized because he used it for the good of the people. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW, NOT EVEN THE PRESIDENT! He did an illegal thing consciously and he cannot just use ignorance as an excuse.

8. The infamous "Framework Agreement" is another example of the president's naiveté when he rushed into a peace agreement with one faction MILF but took the rest of other factions and tribes out of the equation. The result was more chaos and bloodshed starting with the Zamboanga siege. Do you call this peace agreement when other tribes have vowed to fight for their right to self-determination? Can you call this success?

9. Lastly, from what I can think of for now, there were corruptions unfolding under his administration like the BOC when he accepted the resignation of General Lim who was the only person surrounded with sharks and crocodiles who attempted to clean up the Bureau of Customs. But he did not accept the resignation of BOC's top dog, Raffy Biazon when he was the one in-charge of the whole agency and Gen. Lim was only a second in command. He did not even fire the well-known "Three Kings" of smuggling at BOC. Why? Is it because one of them is under Speaker Belmonte's protection?

The economy might be growing a little bit but the general population does not feel it. There are so many little things that are wrong under the president's watch but I can't enumerate all of them. But one thing I can say about the latest brouhaha when he let his personal feelings get in the way of a business decision is, IT'S ALL BS to exclude Nora Aunor for the National Artist award because of Ms. Aunor's drug conviction of which she took responsibility and learned from it. But the fact that she has considerable contribution to the Arts and she made her own success through old-fashion hard work and sheer talent are things that no one can deny. PNoy's excuse of Ms. Aunor's past is LAME and UNFAIR. Are all the previous awardees saints? Who knows, they are babaero, palainom, sugarol, drug users and whatever discretions they might have. But they were recognized based on their contribution to the Arts. It should be the same for Nora Aunor. I wonder if he would do the same thing if it's Kris Aquino who's in the running. The whole Philippines know of Kris cohabiting with few men without legal or religious sanction.

~~O~~

Marlene Howe is co-founder and administrator of the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum and of the Defenders of Philippine Sabah and Spratly Claims community as well as an administrator of this blog. Ms Howe is US-based but keeps a home in the Philippines.

US accuses China of provoking Philippines

US accuses China of provoking Philippines

Washington (AFP) - The United States criticized China as provocative Monday after its coast guard tried to block a Philippine vessel that was rotating troops in the tense South China Sea.

The attempted Chinese blockade, which led to a two-hour standoff with the Philippine ship, is "a provocative and destabilizing action," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters.

Harf said that the Philippines had permission to resupply troops to the remote reef, the Second Thomas Shoal, because it has kept a naval presence there since before a 2002 declaration of conduct in the South China Sea.

"As a treaty ally of the Republic of the Philippines, the United States urges China to refrain from further provocative behavior by allowing the Philippines to continue to maintain its presence at Second Thomas Shoal," she said.

The incident was the latest in the South China Sea, where China claims a vast area that overlaps with several neighbors' claims.

On March 9, China successfully turned away a similar resupply boat from the Philippines.

The United States has been warning China against taking more drastic action in the South China Sea after it declared an air defense identification zone in November over much of the East China Sea, including islands administered by Japan.

http://news.yahoo.com/us-accuses-china-provoking-philippines-215239395.html

Sultan of Sulu: No to PH consular office in Sabah

Sultan of Sulu: No to PH consular office in Sabah

THE Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo reiterated its rejection of proposals made by Malaysians for the Philippine government to open a consular office in Sabah.

Apparently agitated by the reports that the Aquino administration has decided to open a consular office in Sabah, Sultan Esmail Kiram 2nd, the reigning Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo, expressed serious concern.

The Sultan’s wazir, not quite his prime minister but his policy adviser, former Gov. Almarin Centi Tillah of Tawi-Tawi, relayed these concerns to The Manila Times’ Publisher-Editor Rene Bas.

“We have every reason to believe that the plan while being denied publicly by Aquino officials, was agreed upon in secret between President Aquino and Prime Minister Najib Razak,” Al Tillah said.

“This is a betrayal not only of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo but also of the Republic of the Philippines. It is against Philippine national interest to virtually abandon the claim to Sabah by opening a consular office there and thereby show the world that the Philippine government accepts Malaysian sovereignty over Sabah,” he added.

In a separate event also on Monday, the Sultanate’s spokesman, Abhraham Idjurani, told Manila Times reporter Ritchie Horario of the Sultanate’s rejection of the plans “of the government to establish a Philippine consular office in Sabah.

Idjurani said saying that this is tantamount to surrendering Philippine sovereignty over Sabah to Malaysia.

“The Sultanate of Sulu is vehemently opposing any move by Malacañang to put up a Consular Office in the disputed territory,” Idjirani said.

The establishment of a consular office in the disputed territory was raised during the recent visit of President Benigno Aquino 3rd in Malaysia.

In case the plan pushes through, Idjirani said, Aquino would be the first Philippine President to start with “a wrong policy to waste a national legacy and as part of the Muslim contribution to nation building.”

“He has forgotten that any effort to diminish this legacy is a betrayal to the Filipino Great Cause,” he added.

He added that Aquino must remind Malaysia that it should adhere to the rule of law embodied in the 1963 Manila Accord.

North Borneo is that part of Sabah that is the sovereign territory of the reigning Sultans of Sulu and North Borneo.

The present Sultan, Esmail Kiram II, as his predecessors did, gladly accepts the fact of his being a Filipino citizen. Therefore, any lands and seas in his realm is part of the Republic of the Philippines.

That Sabah is Philippine territory is affirmed by the transfer by the then reigning Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo, Muhammad Esmail Kiram I, “of full sovereignty, title and dominion” over Sabah to the Philippines on September 12, 1962. The President of the Philippines then was Diosdado Macapagal.

Legal documents show that Sabah was leased by the Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo to agents of the British North Borneo Company. The UK then handed over the lease to the leaders of Malaya when they, with British support, were forming the Federation of Malaysia.

The Malaysian government maintains that Sabah belongs to it and Sabah is a state of the federation. The Philippines disputes that claim.

During President Aquino’s visit to Malaysia last week, Malaysian media once again played up proposals that the Philippines open a consular office in Sabah.

Problems of Filipino “migrants” in Sabah—Filipino Muslims carrying Philippine passports—have been cited by Malaysians as the reason there should be a consulate.

The way the news reached the Philippines, it seemed as if President Aquino and his administration have agreed to these proposals.

That is not true. President Aquino himself has stated that he did not want the Sabah dispute to be discussed but that Prime Minister Najib Razak did.

The Malaysian PM suggested the establishment of a hotline over the Sabah dispute. The hotline would be between the Philippine and Malaysian security authorities. The Malaysian PM himself told journalists this detail.

http://manilatimes.net/sultan-of-sulu-no-to-ph-consular-office-in-sabah/81648/