AUGUST 28 Afternoon Session on Child Soldiers: A Dangerous Playground, “Addressing the issue on the rights of Child Soldiers”

During the afternoon session last august 28 our class had another talk, this time we tackled the issue on child soldiers. We were fortunate to have two speakers one from the local arena and the other from an international arena, Dickson Hermoso, a chief of staff, civil military officer, peace process officer, human rights officer and a former child soldier in Cotabato and Kevin Ras a former child Soldier in Iraq.

Col. Dickson Hermosa quoted Dr. Gracia in stating that “Child soldiering means any child, boy or girl, aged less than 18 years who is recruited compulsory by force or adheres with the intention of using him or her contracting armed forces or paramilitary forces of defense units.” Col. Dickson Hermoso stated that child soldiering is very much evident in Islamic societies for the reason of religious obligation in a form of Jihad, likewise children are recruited in the Bangsamoro region in order to accomplish Territorial Independence where in children are brainwashed in terms of tradition , culture and religion. Kevin Ras on the other hand shared his experience in encountering child soldiers who died in Iraq for the purpose of implanting explosives he also cited the measures his camp would do such as rehabilitation and reintegration programs whenever they were able to capture child soldiers from Iraq.

Sadly children as young as preschool students are being forcibly recruited, coerced and influenced to become fighters and act like beasts. They are conspired and panned by adults through teaching different ideologies, which they feed to these young minds. In effect children are drawn into violence that they cannot oppose because of the consequences they could face for refusing to comply. However these child soldiers are frequently subjected to extreme abuse and manipulation during combat and training and usually suffer more than the adults. In my judgment some of the reasons why child soldiers were forced to join and cater to terrorist and armed units are simply because of hunger, poverty and ideology. For this reason all states must do something to eradicate this inhumane practice. Simple peace treaties do not address the use of child soldiers thus this issue must immediately be addressed by crafting viable policies.

AUGUST 28 Morning Session on Public Diplomacy: Seminar on Philippine Advancement through Security and Promotion of Information

The expansion of democracy in the modern times has shaped a new environment in the international system where in government can win hearts and minds of the people. Primarily this is how public diplomacy moves by striving to influence foreign nationals and the community with values, policies and actions of their very own government to be supported. In this light, public diplomacy can be identified as the attempt of a nation to influence public or elites of the next leaders or other nations for the intention of using foreign policy for its objective. The government tries to communicate their ideas, culture, goals and current policies with the public both foreign and local. Basically public diplomacy has 2 kinds of aims: short and long term. Short term is used for current policies that can be viewed as a concept for a state to improve its image overseas, which will be flattering or favorable to the state. Long term aims on the other hand is for endorsing its culture. One strength of public diplomacy is that it makes use of soft power instead of hard power and has brought reliance of citizens on their local press and governments for information on foreign events, which amplified possible targets for diplomatic messages. Lastly it also delivers both bilateral and multilateral diplomacy in a manner that it is proposed for national interest in pursuit of promotion of trade, investment and international tourism where there is collaboration between both the domestic and international policy arenas likewise with the public and private sphere.

The class was required to be present during the morning session of the SEM-CDA class s last august 28 which was about public diplomacy. Domingo Enerio, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Tourism did a phenomenal job as our speaker since he was very articulate and he had to fill in for the other speakers who were absent that day. He repeatedly told us that our country is beautiful, actually every country has a beauty of its own and as citizens of the country, we are the number 1 ambassador of the country. He also stressed the importance of us Filipinos supporting and promoting our country to other countries to develop nationalism, a profound love for one’s country and also help our country to rise and encourage foreign businesses and tourists to invest in our country which is also a considerably large part of our economy. During the question and answer portion he was asked mostly about the hostage that transpired last August 23. Although he repeatedly said that DOT is a very aggressive department, in times of such tragedies aggressiveness is lessen since over-promoting the country may be seen overly disrespectful for other countries affected by it. On the lighter side that event shouldn’t be an obstacle for our country to continue to rise, since incidents as such will be learning lessons to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Major Concerns of Philippine Foreign Policy

Our class had a discussion on the major concerns of the Philippine Foreign Policies specifically the regional arrangements and multilateral organizations, territorial rights, Direct Foreign Investments, Tourism and Overseas Filipinos.

Firstly, the Philippines must promote its national interest in regional arrangements and multilateral organization by means of development diplomacy which concentrates on investment, trade and technological transfers in order to promote the Philippine’s interest in agriculture, infrastructure projects, rules of origin, non-tariff barriers, and intellectual property matters and the like. Other factors that are crucial are the involvement of our country to remain and intensify support for UN’s peacekeeping operation in war torn regions and take part in regional and international cooperation which aims to address concerns for human rights and tackle transnational crimes in order to craft laws and frameworks and reconstruct institutions involved in handling such issues.

Second, the Philippines will abide the soon to be crafted code of conduct regarding South China sea because the Philippines an countries such as China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claims to own the Spratly’s island and the South China Sea. Our country chose to settle the territorial dispute in a diplomatic manner without using coercion. Alike the Philippines, other countries agreed to share the South China Sea and convert it from a region of conflict to a region of cooperation. Another dilemma faced by the Philippines is the Moro problem where Mindanao wants to secede from the Philippines and become an independent state.

Third, direct foreign investments are crucial in our economic growth because they provide opportunities and jobs to the Filipinos. Technological transfers and infrastructures are equally important in order to expand and develop our country further in the hope of being more advanced and to catch up with the rest of the world.

Fourth, tourists spots such as Cebu, Bohol, Camiguin, Metro Manila - Tagaytay, Northern Palawan, Boracay, Clark –Subic, Ilocos, Davao shall be enhanced as tourism hubs likewise the airline industry in the country must be liberalized and improve to boost terrorism. Because amazing tourist hubs and improvement of airline industry will encourage foreigners and investors to visit and invest in our country, which will further help our economy to foster.

Lastly upholding the fundamental rights provision of protection and promotion of welfare and dignity of overseas Filipinos will remain a major concern since the overseas Filipinos continues to play a critical role in the social stability of the country’s economy since they fuel our economy through remittances. In this light the government crafts laws for their protection and safety likewise they provide assistance to Filipinos in terms of funds, programs and agencies such as the POEA, OWWA and DFA.

AUGUST 14(SEM CDA)What's your world vision? A discussion on the legal aspects of youth development programs by INGOs and local government institutions

The youth, especially the children is a sector of our society most in need of our protection but sadly, many of them are neglected and abused. In the Philippines as well as other countries, a lot of children roam around the streets, children who beg for alms of work instead of studying, which is one of his rights. In Metro Manila, we will see many children knocking on the windows of various cars for money, works under the heat of the sun just to sell sampaguita, cigarettes or newspapers. There are also children digging in garbage bins, looking for leftover food or cans and bottles that they could sell. There are also children abused by pedophiles. Sadly, children have no freedom to express themselves and make decisions appropriate to their age, for this reason as a responsible member of society we should find ways to safeguard the rights and protection of each children.

A group of SEM-CDA students presented a forum about Youth Development Programs last Saturday, August 14, 2010. These Youth Development Programs includes: Child Hope Asia, DEP-ED (MIMAROPA) and World Vision. All these organizations addressed issues regarding rights of a child, child labor, violence against children and the possible solutions and programs each organizations execute to be able to support them and uplift their lives and promote their welfare after suffering from abuse and the like. Child Hope Asia’s advocacy primarily focuses on street children throughout the world. It works toward the emancipation of the child from the suffering caused by working and living on the street. It aims is to provide psychosocial support for street children likewise give them education opportunities. World Vision on the other hand is dedicated to work with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by addressing the causes of poverty and injustice. They are known for the child sponsorship system where in, an amount of P600 can help provide children and their community access to crucial necessities such as: safe water, health care, livelihood assistance, education and the like which helps the children and the community to move forward to a more sustainable future. DEPED in partnership with MIMAROPA division aims to develop a highly competent, civic spirited, life-skilled and God loving Filipino youth towards the building of the humane healthy, productive and progressive society in the MIMAROPA Region.

In my own judgment, I am blessed to grow up from a family who safeguarded my rights as a child. Sadly not all children experience the same fate that is why I am relieved that a lot of organizations are for children empowerment. However that can never be enough to eradicate the maltreatment and injustices children go through. That is why as a responsible member of the society I will do my best to help these children the best possible way I can. This seminar was an eye opener for me and my other classmates how I wish other members of society will be aware about this prevalent issue, specially the government so that they will create viable policies that safeguard the rights of a child.

HOMEWORK ON PNOY’S ASEAN SPEECH

In my own judgment I believe that President Benigno Aquino III’s speech the Occasion of the 43rd ASEAN Foundation Day was marvelous. In general he pledged to fortify ties with the ASEAN nation. During his speech, he stated that his administration will be “more conscious” of our country’s commitment to strengthening ties with the members of the ASEAN. He also said that our country will follow a proposed code of conduct regarding South China sea that is to be drafted by the ten members of ASEAN in order to achieve political, economical, socio cultural and security goals by the year 2015, a year before he leaves the office. Lastly he emphasized the importance of building connectivity with the ASEAN for the purpose of providing a framework and build a foundation for regional cooperation on connectivity with South and East Asia. In that light he aims to create nautical highways or “RORO” projects, which will shorten the distances, bridge nations together and would possible unleash more economic opportunities for more people and expansion of market and increase in employment. I hope that his administration will be able to accomplish his goals because I believe in the new directions of our country and the capacity of the Filipino people to follow through amidst the challenges.

No Country Is An Island

BILATERAL RELATIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES WITH US, CHINA & JAPAN

Up until today, countries such as Japan, China and US have great impacts in our country’s history. US had a big influence in our country such as the kind of educational system, English language, kind of living, technologies, and even ideologies. This explains why up until now the Philippines and the US continues to have a sound bilateral relation. Our bilateral relations have been strengthen through the course of time due to wars fought together side by side, the big number of Filipino community in the US, likewise with the 9/11 tragedy which is one of the reasons why the VFA is enacted. Both the Philippines and USA made a commitment to fight global terrorism. Although our rights are stepped on we still abide by the VFA due to the fact that our country depends on the US heavily.

China on the other hand is the longest trading partner of the Philippines 10 centuries before Christ. There is no shadow of a doubt that up until now we have good ties with China. China is the largest growing economy in the world and is THE economic power. The entry of China in WTO arena is very much an advantage to our country in terms of tourism and trade where in we will be able to promote, develop and enhance trade and partnerships with China.

Conversely tracing our Philippine History under the Japanese rule, our countries had one of the worst relationships due to the hardships our ancestors experienced during their tight military rule. Its no surprise that up until now the Japanese are taking advantage of us because one of the clauses in the agreement stipulates that there will be a duty-free exchange of goods and exports from the Philippines into Japan likewise employment of a big number of Filipinos in Japan in exchange of a parcel of land in the Philippines that will become Japan’s waste disposal facility. This clause was the subject of heated protests and arguments since Filipinos objected to the Philippines being the ‘outhouse’ of Japan.

Nevertheless regardless of what we have gained and lost in our relationships with the three countries, they have helped severely in the unification of the ASEAN community, which our country is one of the founding members. This serves as a venue for further cooperation with one another in terms of the socially, economically and security.

Aside from these three countries, the Philippines is also closely working with Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia to end terrorism in the region. Likewise our country seeks to develop a stronger relation with Organizations of Islamic Community, which can which can assist us in resolving the dispute in Mindanao.
After all that’s been said and done the bottom line is that no country can survive on its own without the help of other countries. I believe that each agreement and negotiation made with other countries regardless if it was negative or positive, can help a country learn from its mistakes and grow. It is really important for countries to cooperate with one another in order to collectively achieve success.

Homework on the VFA

How does the VFA affect you as an individual?

I honestly think that the VFA is a lousy agreement. I really can’t see any authentic benefits from this arrangement. Our counter-terrorism efforts and competence are not being enhanced by the US visiting forces. It doesn’t even commit the US to supply us with modern weapons of war.

The VFA may not directly affect me as an individual since I don't experience issues at first hand. However as a Filipino, I realize that this agreement leads to the bastardization of our nation.'s dignity. Our national sovereignty and human rights are highly undermined in this agreement. I can’t understand how our leaders signed this agreement at the expense of our dignity and self-respect. The VFA is obviously one sided and very degrading in our case. The only right thing to do is to terminate this agreement because no matter how much we would life to amend or reconstruct this contact, the US will always call the shots and they will always be above our laws.

In my own judgement: The VFA

Last August 2 our class discussed about the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement. This joint military greement between two countries has been poorly implement and at the same time abused by both governments. In effect it benefits the US government while reducing the Philippines' right to national sovereignty in judicial and military.

An example is, it as an AFFRONT TO OUR CONSTITUTION. According to Article II, Sec. 8 "The Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts and pursues a policy of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory." However there is no clause in the VFA that guarantees right to inspection. In my judgment there should be a clause authorizing Filipino teams to board navals and vessels to inspect and ensure that the US are not carrying any nuclear weapons and various types of weapons of mass destruction.

Another example is that it GRANTS EXTRATERRITORIAL RIGHTS TO AMERICANS. Our country is sovereign and like all sovereign nations, the country should subject everybody in its territory to its laws. It government must have full jurisdiction over any person; citizen or visiting alien who commits a crime in its territory. However in the VFA agreement, the Philippines will have to waive its sovereign rights in terms of jurisdiction. If an American soldier comes under VFA and commits crimes he will not be subjected to our country’s courts, which only proves to show that the Americans are above our laws.

Lastly the VFA CAN INVOLVE US IN UNECESSARY INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS. In article 1 the definition of military “activities” agreed upon by the Philippine and US governments is somewhat vague and undefined. What if the US tests nuclear weapons and bombs in our land, which can cause other countries to react? It automatically puts our country in danger.

These are some of the many issues that can be observed in the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement. The VFA cannot be reformed or suspended. Only a total termination of the VFA and guarantee that such agreements will not be crafted again can truly fulfill the Filipino’s thirst for a unadulterated national sovereignty and human rights.

the Clash of the SONAs: Aquino III vs President Arroyo

Being attached to my course in some degree, I am one of the few Filipino students who was glued to their seats just to watch and criticize President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s last State of the Nation Address, of course as anticipated, I knew that she was going to “raise her own stool” and brag about the accomplishments of her administration, well actually all her precursors have done likewise. And based from the “Hello Garci” incident I knew that she wasn’t going to admit her mistakes or shortcomings. But the real question is. “Were the accomplishments she bragged about truthful?” Well generally speaking her administration was able to achieve a lot in terms of fiscal financial and infrastructure projects. Who wouldn’t achieve those with a budget of almost 9 trillion from the years 2001 to 2009 right? It’s expected of her to do such projects. But the real issue is not whether she was able to achieve anything, but if she delivered what she promised in her 1st SONA. Unfortunately like the other politicians she made promises but forgot about them anyways. In one of her SONAs I remember the BEAT THE ODDS legacy that would leave a mark on the Filipino People by the year 2010, sadly in her SONA, she didn’t mention anything about her Beat the Odd:

B - Balanced budget,
E- Education,
A- Automated Elections,
T- Transportation and Digital Infrastructure,

T- Terminate Hostilities with the NPA and MILF,
H- Healing the wounds of Edsa's 1, 2 and 3,
E- Electricity and Water for all,

O- Opportunities for livelihood and ten million jobs,
D- Decongestion of Metro Manila,
D- Develop Subic and Clark

The first erroneous claim is on education. During Arroyo’s first six years she neglected elementary and high school education. Consequently progress in education has been lethargic. Enrollment ratio has worsened – from 96.8 percent in 2000 to 83.3 percent in 2006. Translation: 17 out of 100 children of school age are out school. Sadly the Arroyo administration brags about the outcomes like better test scores and literacy when in fact the inputs such as buildings, textbooks and schools are in awful conditions.

The second evident inaccuracy is her claim on jobs. The government’s goal was to create 1.7 million new jobs every year however 2.8 million jobs were created between years 2004-2008 or roughly 700,000 jobs every year. That’s far from the 10 million jobs she promised from her previous SONA. The increasing number of overseas workers is also proof that the domestic economy is not that well, and that the government has failed to provide enough jobs for Filipinos in the homeland.

Lastly when she stated that the number of poor people decreased by 2 million, Oh my God I swear I almost fell off my chair. In the year 2006 alone, figures showed that poor people increased by 2.8 million. I really don’t know where she got her data at all.

Let’s say some of her accomplishments were accurate, but I still I thought that her SONA was a:
S-imply
O-ver-exaggerated
N-arrated
A-nnouncement

A lot of issues came to life during her administration, for this reason no matter what accomplishments transpired during her administration, my trust and faith isn’t tantamount to her achievements. I thought that when she replaced President Estrada, she would be able to lessen corruption in the government and promote transparency. As a citizen of the Philippines, I wanted a president who I can look up to and not be ashamed about. Nonetheless I am very optimistic and hopeful that the new administration led by President Benigno III will usher in change that every Filipino aspires for.

Lastly, President Arroyo’s 1st SONA included the three pillars of foreign policy, which are: preservation and enhancement of national diplomacy, promotion and attainment of economic security through the mobilization of eternal resources for economic advancement and lastly protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare and interests of Filipino overseas. I must admit President Arroyo integrated domestic and international sphere in her SONA, she presented a direction, a roadmap where she wants to take the country to. On the other hand, President Benigno Aquino IIII’s first SONA was commendable for giving a very straightforward SONA in a language understood by the people. He was frank and honest about the wastefulness of the past administration and he was correct when he pointed out that it is a must to investigate these issues in order to see the root cause of the problems in order to give a best viable solution for it. His speech lacked some points in substantial discussions on foreign policies, agricultural issues, and other sectors that are crucial. Nonetheless I tried to view it from another perspective on why he chose to focus on the economic/domestic sphere. I think he wanted to fix and reform the domestic sphere before venturing out to the international sphere because if he fixes the core, the other outside spheres will follow.

In my humble opinion I predict the President Benigno Aquino III’s plans will yield a fruitful outcome. He just started as the new president and I have seen that he has tried his best to set a good example not only to the politicians but to us citizens as well. I believe in our new president and I think that he will be able to deliver what he pledges, that is why, I predict that in his final SONA he would include the transformations of the government where corruption might be evident but very minimal as compared to the past administrations and I also believe that it will include his accomplishments in the domestic and international sphere.

With Great Power, comes Great Responsibility

President Benigno Aquino stated in his SONA, that “Tungkulin po ng bawat Pilipino na tutukan ang mga pinunong tayo rin naman ang nagluklok sa puwesto. Humakbang mula sa pakikialam tungo sa pakikilahok. Dahil ang nakikialam, walang-hanggan ang reklamo. Ang nakikilahok, nakikibahagi sa solusyon.” I agree with what he said because after President Aquino’s SONA a lot of critics said that his SONA lacked specific key issues, it lacked substance and the speech was re-hashed” In my opinion we can’t just go on and complain about his SONA because the development of the Philippines doesn’t depend and rely on one man alone, we should also do our part and be involved in our country, nothing will really happen if we just sit back and complain, that’s the problem with us Filipinos we would always want to blame the government for the country’s instability and problems. I honestly think that President Aquino’s SONA was meaningful because he was able to expose the wastefulness of the past administration, making the citizens aware of what has happened with the people’s money, I also saw that he wanted to address the problems in our economy as well as the Moro Islamic conflict. I also liked his proposals on how to go about the different problems such as the: efficiency of business registration, fiscal responsibility bill, public-private partnership, truth commission, zero-based approach and a whole lot more.

During our class we had a group work where in we had to discuss the connections between the problems and proposals presented by President Aquino and its implications in our Philippine Foreign policy because nothing in his speech, directly relates to foreign policy although there were links.

The group I was a member of, chose to tackle the Economic problem of the country because according to some articles on the web, the Philippines ranked as one of the most unfriendly countries in terms of our laws regarding foreign investments which hinders the country to a full economic development and stability. We focused on his solution,which was ”public-private partnership and zero-based approach” where in the government will not spend a single peso, but the funds will com from willing investors for projects such as infrastructures and expressway from Manila to Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Viscaya until Cagayan Valley. Our group believes that growing investments and infrastructures will give out a lot of job opportunities because from these infrastructures, gasoline stations may be opened and these gasoline stations will also have a lot of establishments in it as well as the mini kiosks, which will give a chance for small to big range entrepreneurs which will also generate jobs for a lot of our kababayans. The Department of Trade and Industry will also be reformed in such a way that registering for a business will be a friendlier process which will attract local and foreign business enterprises to invest in our country. With this, the government will be crafting policies that will address a partnership of the Philippine government to other foreign entities to ensure a friendly and secure transaction and relationship to safeguard both parties.

The Moro Problem

In our class last July 19 2010, we discussed about Ms. Christine’s own paper on the Moro Islamic Conflict in Mindanao. I was relieved to know that the outline and contents of her paper were somewhat similar with the contents of the term paper I submitted that day. During the discussion I was able to learn additional facts such as: rumors that the third party facilitator will no longer be Malaysia but Indonesia, mainly because Malaysia’s main interest was to claim Sabbah as their territories, peace in Mindanao was just their secondary interest. Another interesting fact was that, one of the few correct things that President Estrada did in his administration was to wage war against the rebel groups in Mindanao unlike President Arroyo’s administration where in she only did a never-ending negotiation thus led to nothing. Lastly this conflict is not only a domestic problem because it transcends to the international sphere, which may lead to further conflicts such as: Philippines versus Malaysia (If our country chooses to fight for Sabbah) if that happens, USA will back us up while occupying the South China sea which may lead to a China-US conflict.

Peace Process in Mindanao and the Moro Problem

Introduction
Three decades of negotiations and compromise between the Bangsamoro liberation front and the government of the Philippines as mediated by various organizations like the OIC has formed extensive agreements. These agreements however failed to put a stop on the horrid and expensive war on the Mindanao island. This essay will examine the roots of the unrelenting conflict, going through the long narrative of resistance and rebellion to be able to shed light on the changing political and economic conditions that explains the permanence of the issue. This paper will try to present what it views to be the shortcomings of the reconciliation efforts to resolve the predicament that has been propagating aggression in Mindanao and tries to present an approach with a new solution in order to fix the mistakes of the past and create a conducive condition for a long lasting peace in Mindanao. Lastly, this document will present how crucial this issue needs to be resolved.

History
The ongoing conflict and grievances of the Bangsamoro people is hooked on the historical discourse of discrimination and inequality during the colonial and post-colonial period of the Philippines. During that period, lands farmed and inhabited by the Muslims and indigenous people, were taken by the businessmen and Christian settlers who were brought by the foreign colonizers from the large-scale companies and likewise the northern and central part of the Philippines. According to Lara, “ The theft of the Moro’s land was facilitated and reinforced by an externally Spanish and American imposed set of property rights institutions based on the colonial system of titling, transfer, and sale of land over the Moro’s traditional system of communal ownership and stewardship of property.” (Lara, 2009) Eventually the disregard of the underprivileged countryside communities by the local government in Mindanao and the central state worsened the colonization of the land.

Apart from its historical roots, and the predicaments of land, mass poverty, neglect and other social inequalities that need the attention of the national government, the issue that needs serious and immediate attention is the political relationship of the Bangsamore people with the government because this political matter is assumed by certain sectors as the major cause of other social, economic and religious problems.

In the Journal, The New Mindanao Process, Lingga A. stated that, “For centuries the Spanish colonial government attempted to conquer the Muslim states and subjugate their political existence so as to add their territories to the Spanish colonies in the Philippine Islands. History, however, tells us that that plan never succeeded. These states with their organized maritime and infantry forces defended the Bangsamoro territories, thus preserving the continuity of their independence.(Lingga, 2004) For this reason, there has been a debates, on the basis on logic that someone cannot sell something that he does not own, because the Spain was never able to effectively and successfully carry out autonomy and dominance on the Bangsamoro territories, therefore the Bangsamoro territory should not been included in the territories ceded by Spain to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris.

The Moro National Liberation Front was formed by Nur Misuari in the late 1960s again an armed insurgence broke out in Mindanao. This rebellion happened due to heaps of reasons however it had a lot to do with the desire to re-attain their condition of a unattached independent state or Bangsamoro. Where the Filipino Muslims would have power and access over social services that they could reap from the economic development in Mindanao and. Furthermore they want to establish a Islam way of life and safeguard their ancestral lands from being occupied by Filipino Christians or other international corporations.

Hostility raged in Mindanao because the initial response in Manila to the National Liberation Front was military and nature. Former President Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law in 1972 increased military resistance in the region. Horrendous efforts were made to alleviate the conflict like the creation of a Southern Philippines Development Authority and interference by the Organization of Islamic Conference. Everything seemed one step short of useless until President Gaddafi of Libya interfered. In the journal, The Mindanao Conflict and Prospects for Peace in the Southern Philippines, Russel R., expressed that, in 1976, the Tripoli Agreement was signed in Libya between the Philippine government and the MNLF. It provided for political autonomy for the thirteen provinces of Mindanao, Sulu and southern Palawan, which Moro Filipinos saw as their traditional homeland or sphere of influence. It also gave amnesty to the rebels. However, when then-President Marcos insisted on a plebiscite vote in the affected provinces to determine if local populations supported autonomy, the MNLF and its followers boycotted the vote. Only four provinces voted for autonomy, and so separate autonomous regions were established in Regions IX and XII. These autonomous governments were weak, and lacked political power and funding “ (Russel, 2004) In effect, divisions within the MNLF transpired due to the failure to achieve the real or meaningful independence which brought about dispute between the leaders of different ethno-linguistic and political leaders. In 1977 When Misuari agreed to the wishes oft acceded of the OIC to drop the Front’s proposal and instead settle for autonomy, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or the MILF was established by Hashim Salamat.

When Corazon Aquino became president of the Philippines, the provisions of a new Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) as well as the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) in northern Luzon was stipulated in the new constitution. The final agreement between the government and the MNLF was reached under the Presidenct of Fidel Ramos. The governement, MNLF, OIC Committee of Six and the OIC Secretariat were represented by Ambassador Manuel T. Yan, Nur Misuari, Ali Alatas and Dr. Hamid Al-Ghabid, respectively signed to the agreement, which signified the accomplishment of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.

President Estrada declared an all out war against the MILF because they seek to be an independent state in spite of the former agreements made during the previous administration, a series of terrorist attacks transpired such as taking hostage Father Luciano Benedetti, burning of Talayan municipal hall, occupying of Kauswagan Municiapl Hall, take over of Ramos Highway etc.

When president Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the presidency position, she imposed a unilateral cease-fire and instigated probing talks with MILF. The MILF proposed condition s and the government responded favorably. These were: negotiations will be mediated by an OIC member country or the OIC, the factions involved will fulfill past agreements and lastly that the talk will be held in other countries. However President Arroyo’s peace efforts were endangered during the late 2008. The Memorandum of A Agreement on Ancestral Domain or MOA-AD between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation front. The MOA-AD stipulates numerous treaties, arrangements, laws and international conventions, however excludes any citation to the Philippine Constitution. The biggest issue is that the MOA-AD has violated national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country because under the MOA-AD there will be a BJE, a Bangsamoro Judicial entity which will have legislative powers, excluding them from laws passed bur the Congress likewise they will have a judicial system that need not the reconsideration of the Supreme court. Next, it is a right of all Moros to identify themselves as Bangsamoros, they shall have jurisdiction over their region and internal waters extending about 15 kms from the coastline. Lastly the ancestral domain excludes the government because the BJE can cancel any permits and titles made by the government of the Philippines. Having these, the factors of an independent state: 1. Governement 2. People 3. Territory are all available making a Bangsomoro state within the territory of the Philippines quite risky. The Supreme Court eventually barred the signing of this MOA-AD because it is very unconstitutional.

Key actors in the Peace Process
Government of the Republic of the Philippines
In dealing with rebellion and insurgence, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines is in charge of maintaining stability and protecting its sovereignty. There’s no shadow of a doubt that any president who could achieve peace in Mindanao during his or her administration can be seen as a major political victory. The region of Mindanao is endowed with natural resources, for this reason the Philippine government cannot risk it due to the scarcity of the country’s resources. More importantly, Mindanao has a population of 15 million tax payers and voters which is valuable to the government.

Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
The MNLF was founded by Nur Misuari whose primarily goal is the secession from the Philippines and the establishment of an Islamic state. The sectarian violence in the southern Philippines, were the Muslims communities were attacked by the Christians led to the establishment of the group. The martial law declared by President Marcos aggravated the conflict. In the book Muslims in South East Asia: A Study in Minority
Problem, Chauhan expressed that the martial law had 3 features: 1.) centralization of regime left power in Christian hands; 2,) political restrictions left only the options of acceptance or “anti-regime revolutionary activities” and; 3,) collection of guns by the regime from citizens removed the chance to use force against it. The MNLF leadership maintains that the Front’s ideology was “Islamic and democratic, it favoured a democratic federal republic because it recognized that not all the people in Mindanao and the other Islands were Muslims.” (Chauhan, 1991) Lastly the OIC was able to change the MNLF’s view on secession, instead creating an autonomous region for the Muslims in Mindanao.

Nur Misuari
Nur Misuari was a political science professor at the University of the Philippines however stopped when President Marcos declared Martial Law in order to lead the MNLF. In the article Kris-Crossing Mindanao: Bite the Bullet, in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mercado mentioned, “His constituency gives him the title Maas Nur, with “Maas” being akin to the “Ho” of the Vietnamese. There are only 2 other people who carry this title in the contemporary struggle of the Muslim people in the Philippines (Mercado, 2001). He was acclaimed as a icon, an instrumental figure in putting an end to the 24 years of war during the year 1996. However his term as Governor of the autonomous region was criticized since he didn’t help improve conditions in Mindanao.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
The creation of Moro Islamic Liberation Front by Hashim Salamat occurred because he saw Nur Misuari’s leadership ineffective. In the article, The Moro Jihad: Continuous Struggle for Islamic Independence in Southern Philippines by Zahir he stated that, the MILF also believed that the ultimate motive of the Philippine government is to carry out its “genocide campaign” by increasing the influx of Christian settlers in Mindanao. Their demand is for an independent and sovereign Moro Islamic State as opposed to Misuari’s accession to autonomy (Zahir, 1998). They declare that their ideology is Islam in contrast to MNLF’s secular-nationalist stance. Hashim Salamat, who studied in the Al-Azhar University of Cairo, once said that the “MILF emergenciess the crystallization of the widespread animosity and deep-rooted displeasure of the Bangsamoro people vis-à-vis the illegal and immoral usurpation of their freedom and self-determination.” They look forward to the full Islamisation of all aspects of life of the Bangsamoro people. The MILF also does not recognize the Philippine government and Constitution (Salamat, 1998). On the other hand MILF has continued an open relationship with the civil society and other political forces aside from the Muslim community although they are generally viewed as fundamentalists.

Ambassadors of the Organization Islamic Conference
This organization is the Muslim world’s communal voice, which pledges to protect and safeguard the interests of the Muslim world through encouraging and promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.

Flaws
One of the flaws is how the agreements between the MILF, GRP and OIC had been negotiated. The OIC from the very start had its own direction on how to solve the problem, however the OIC overlooked the tackling of the main issue of the problem because they were more interested in having a success story in conflict mediation. The second flaw was the misunderstanding of the key actors. The OIC was right in the detection that the government as part and parcel of the conflict, however it ignored that the MNLF was there to represent the Bangsamoro people. The third flaw is the lack of contribution of the Bangsamoro people in the peace process. When the MNLF made their decision to change their aim regarding the secession, they left behind the hearts and minds of their people since they failed to discuss it with their people. Thus the consequence was the lack of the support for the peace negotiations, which led to the shift of support from the MNLF to the MILF which promised independence. Having this shift in support, it will have a long lasting consequence since this group will continue to push for an independent state which can not be possible since a president’s goal is to give importance to territorial integrity.


Conclusion
The on going dispute in Mindanao has staggered the potential development in the region. The MILF peace process is an important factor in constructing long lasting peace and development in the southern region of the Philippines but it is not an immediate solution to the instability in the region. The long history of this dispute includes the approaches that backfired in resolving the conflicts, which have also severely separated the populace of the southern Philippines.
Moro ethno-linguistic rivalries are deep in nature in and it is only set aside when they unite in the face of the enemy, however that union is absent in uniting for a shared intention of economic integration and governance.

The implementation of a Moro agreement is deemed as critical in aiming to build a Moro unity. More importantly, pitfalls such as the intra-Moro enmity and discord must be addressed where in the MILF and MNLF should build a common vision on the Moro ancestral domain. Peace negotiation with various rebel groups is essential because it will serve as an assembly for the purpose of communicating interests and afflictions compulsory in crafting a conducive and viable approach for Mindanao. More importantly, they should sit down in a diplomatic conference and execute decision-making power with the government in order to develop cooperation and support among local Moro government leaders and its populace.

An alternative solution to this crisis is that the government should enforce a short term Martial law. The MILF and MNLF should be disarmed. The group maintained by the Arm forces and private armies empowered by local governments should be disbanded and disarmed. Likewise there should be a ban on all firearms in Mindanao accompanied by rigid sanctions for illegal possession of such. Once the people can follow the law and respect the rights of their neighbor, the martial law can be lifted. After which, the government will allocate resources to create jobs, create more schools, build infrastructures such as roads and highways to remote areas. Such improvements will attract foreign investors, which will integrate the Muslim people economically.

References:

Chauhan, Rajinder Singh. 1991. Muslims in South East Asia: A Study in Minority
Problem. India: Kanishka Publishing House.

Lara, F. (2009). Inclusive Peace in Muslim Mindanao: Revisiting the Dynamic of Conflict and Exclusion. PWPFS

Lingga, A. (2005). The Mindanao Peace Process: Needing a New Formula
Mercado, Jr., Fr. Eliseo. 2001. Kris-Crossing Mindanao: Bite the Bullet. In Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Russel, S.(2004). The Mindanao Conflict and Prospects for Peace in the Southern Philippines. DeKalb, Illinois, U.S.A.

Salamat, Hashim, 1998. Perhaps the Moro Struggle for Freedom and Self-Determination is the Longest and Bloodiest in the Entire History of Mankind.

Zahir, Sheikh Abu, 1998. The Moro Jihad: Continuous Struggle for Islamic
Independence in Southern Philippines.

Foreign policy- An Infinite Porcess

Last Monday we had an extensive review in order to connect all the things we learned during the previous sessions. Learning Philippine History is very much critical in crafting domestic policies, for it illustrates and explains culture, tradition, various developments our country has achieved and why the populace and policy makers act that certain way. All these factors contribute in how our domestic policies are shaped. Foreign Policy is the extension of a country's domestic policy, which includes the plans and processes on how a country creates relations with other nations. There are three main pillars of Foreign Policy: preservation of national interest and territorial integrity, economic progress and protection of nationals. All these are non negotiable, and of equal importance. Former president Arroyo made these pillars a basis for her 8 realities.

Moving on, before drafting a policy it is critical to set a time line in order to know how long the policy should last if it is immediate and for the time being, midterm and long term in order to achieve the desired quality output. Additionally, foreign policy is a continuous process of: implementation by the use of diplomacy, results and consequences on a given situation that will serve as the mechanism for evaluation. Evaluation will serve as an instrument to adjust in decision-making. Foreign policy is an infinite process because policies should be amended over and over again to be of superlative quality and it should be thoroughly analyzed for the development of a policy.

To further apply what we have learned during this session we had a group work where in various groups had to formulate a policy paper in their chosen 8 reality. I believe that this will enhance our capacity as Phifocy students to scrutinize and deliver critical decisions in crafting a policy to adress a certain issue which will eventually help us in our future career.

Seatwork July 5 2010

1.1 What is the mandate of the department of foreign affairs in terms of being the principal arm to implement foreign policy?

Philippine Foreign Service Act of 1991, also known as Republic Act No. 7157, gives mandate the Department of Foreign Affairs to implement the three (3) pillars of the Philippine Foreign Policy, as follows:
1. Preservation and enhancement of national security
2. Promotion and attainment of economic security
3. Protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare and interest of Filipinos overseas.
These three pillars are equally important, may overlap and cannot be apart from each other. The Department of Foreign Affairs advises and assists the President in planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, integrating, and evaluating the total national effort in the field of foreign relations in pursuit of its Constitutional mandate.

Sources:
http://www.dfa.gov.ph/main/index.php/philippine-foreign-policy
http://www.dbm.gov.ph/OPIF/dfa-FINAL.pdf

1.2 What other institutions help or assist the DFA in realizing foreign policies?

In the changes happening in the global context, the DFA may be seen as somewhat outdated, in response to this the rise of NGOs in the international decision making arena has resulted in a network of consultative functions with larger voice and more critical global implications.
WTO has reshaped Philippine society in terms of migrant workers and its protection, requirements and conditions imposed on multilateral corporations and organizations in terms if legal agreements and laws.
DOLE is responsible for the implementation of policies and programs that promote gainful employment opportunities, develop human resources, protect the welfare and advancement of workers, and maintain harmonious industrial relations between and among the workers and employers in Metro Manila.
OWWA is an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), is the lead government agency tasked to protect and promote the welfare and well-being of Overseas Filipino Workers
POEA promotes and develops the overseas employment program and protects the rights of migrant workers
Source: Magallona, Merlin. 2007. Reflections on Philippine Foreign Policy. The UP Forum Volume 8 Number 1 January-February 2007. http://www.up.edu.ph/upforum.php?issue=17&i=128 date accessed 18 May 2010
http://www.owwa.gov.ph/index.php?page=about-owwa

2. Enumerate 8 foreign policy realities of President Arroyo, for each reality find 2- 3 related articles and then make an analysis as to what extent did President Arroyo administration work to implement the said realities?

1. China, Japan and the United States and their relationship will be a determining influence in the security situation and economic evolution of East Asia;
2. Philippine foreign policy decisions have to be made in the context of ASEAN;
3. The international Islamic community will continue to be important for the Philippines;
4. The coming years will see the growing importance of multilateral and inter-regional organizations to promote common interests;
5. As an archipelagic state, the defense of the nation's sovereignty and the protection of its environment and natural resources can be carried out only to the extent that it asserts its rights over the maritime territory and gets others to respect those rights;
6. The country's economic policy will continue to be friendly to both domestic and foreign direct investments;
7. The Philippines can benefit most quickly from international tourism
8. Overseas Filipinos will continue to be recognized for their critical role in the country's economic and social stability.

-TO BE UPDATED-

3. With the assistance of different bureaus, institutions as well as interest groups. It is the president that drafts the policies, what do you think will be included in President Aquino’s foreign policy list now that he has assumed presidency? Identify 5 issues and find news clippings for each to support answer

1. The magnitude of the Filipino migrant worker population, over seven million makes it highly important to reintegrate roles of institutions such as POEA, DFA and OWWA to protect and safeguard rights of these OFWs due to the sudden upsurge of migrant abuses and labor mistreatments documented abroad

Article: Group sees rise in OFW labor cases worldwide by Pam Brooke Casin, June 22, 2010
http://www.mb.com.ph/node/263210/group-

2. President Aquino III should initiate or maintain stronger trade relations with other countries in order to enhance economic stability.

Article: Stronger trade, diplomatic relations seen between East Timor, Philippines
AMITA O. LEGASPI, GMANews.TV 07/01/2010 | 07:25 PM
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/194974/stronger-trade-diplomatic-relations-seen-between-east-timor-philippines

3. President Aquino III should negotiate more favorable terms in our relations, whether with bilateral partners or with international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund-World Bank (IMF-WB) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).The Philippine government’s traditional dependence on these institutions has heightened our vulnerability to these institutions’ neo-liberal prescriptions in attaining economic growth and development. Consequently the Philippines is heavily burdened by debt.

Article: IMF-WB in the Philippines: Half-Century of Anti-Development
By Sandra Nicolas
http://bulatlat.com/news/4-11/4-11-imf.html

4. President Aquino III should adapt a free market concept, liberalizing entry of foreign investments and persuade foreign investors to set up businesses in the country by means of eliminating bribery.

Article: Philippines FDI falls 41 percent: central bank
Thursday, Feb 12, 2009
http://www.yourshipbuildingnews.com/news_item.php?newsID=23766

5. Abolishment of the VFA and Balikatan exercises because it has only been used to give special treatment and extra-territorial rights to US forces which commit crimes on Philippine soil while engaged in so-called military exercises.

Article: Senate resolution: Abolish VFA by: Christine Avendaño, Christian V. Esguerra on Philippine Daily Inquirer, 02/17/2009
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090217-189591/Senate-resolution-Abolish-VFA

4. How significant is the ASEAN in Philippine Foreign Policy?

The Association of Southeast East Nations (ASEAN) is the cornerstone of Philippine multilateral diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific region. Through ASEAN, the Philippines has promoted stronger ties among member states and between ASEAN and China. ASEAN members, including the Philippines have been guided by a sense of community in their foreign policy cooperation. It focuses on ASEAN decision-making in relation to diplomatic initiatives relevant to the grouping's security. Furthermore there is a significant impact on ASEAN cooperation in the sphere of policy process, affecting policy outcomes, as the final result of the decision-making process is supposed to reflect the sensitivities and vital interests of all members

Sources: http://www.globalasia.org/V4N3_Fall_2009/Renato_Cruz_De_Castro.html
Contemporary Southeast Asia Article dated April 1, 2000
Author: NISCHALKE, TOBIAS INGO Copyright

Philippines: History and the State

During our class we talked about the Philippine's history from the various colonizers ( Spain, Japan, America ) the rise of 19th century nationalism until martial law. We discussed how the Philippines was shaped and influenced by the different events that transpired through the years.

Some of the people in our class was wondering why we had to study history again. I heard expressions like "This is so grade school" "Ganto? Paulit ulit?" But then again, come to think of it, it is really necessary for us to learn the history of the Philippines in order to understand our tradition and culture which have impacts in our economical, political, social, cultural spheres which also shape our domestic policy and explains the present condition of our country.

After the discussion of the Philippine history we also talked about the Philippine State, Institutions and Decision making Process in Foreign Policy, important provisions in the Philippine Constitution, Civil society in the Philippines as well as the Political, Social and Economic context in the Philippines.

In general, I think that the discussion was very much interesting and relevant in the modern times in regards to the government's status and I became more aware to the threats and opportunities of the Philippine's foreign relations.

Philippines: History and State

During our class we talked about the Philippine's history from the various colonizers ( Spain, Japan, America ) the rise of 19th century nationalism until martial law. We discussed how the Philippines was shaped and influenced by the different events that transpired through the years.

Some of the people in our class was wondering why we had to study history again. I heard expressions like "This is so grade school" "Ganto? Paulit ulit?" But then again, come to think of it, it is really necessary for us to learn the history of the Philippines in order to understand our tradition and culture which have impacts in our economical, political, social, cultural spheres which also shape our domestic policy and explains the present condition of our country.

After the discussion of the Philippine history we also talked about the Philippine State, Institutions and Decision making Process in Foreign Policy, important provisions in the Philippine Constitution, Civil society in the Philippines as well as the Political, Social and Economic context in the Philippines.

In general, I think that the discussion was very much interesting and relevant in the modern times in regards to the government's status and I became more aware to the threats and opportunities of the Philippine's foreign relations.

Reflections on Foregin policy

People who witnessed the mayhem of September 11, 2001 are unlikely to forget the horrifying images. That day every news channel would play nonstop footages of people screaming and running away from buildings, airplanes crashing, buildings collapsing, etcetera etcetera. This catastrophic event not only made a mark in history but also paved the way for certain changes in the US policies as well. It tells us that US became more skeptical about their policies and that a shift in their national interest can change and influence their policies as well.

There’s no shadow of a doubt that each theory is equally important. However I find myself undecided with these theories because sometimes I adhere to a realist perspective and then I find myself leaning towards a liberal perspective. If I will make US as a basis for my argument I would say that Realism can really explain why US behaves that way. While constructivist may keep on scrutinizing issues but in the end produces nothing. Liberalist perspective on the other hand is very much utopian I can’t see how one state would sacrifice their own interest for the sake of other states. One of the things that made me undecided is the fact that Norway is very liberal. Norway has a very high quality universal health service which need not to be paid by their citizens, their jails are like hotels where delinquents are free to go out of their cell to work, their cops don’t walk around with guns and on top of that Norway remains highest in HDI and free from terrorists.

Above all, maybe it’s not about the theory that a state subscribes to, but it is the political will and the credibility of the country’s political leadership that becomes the solution to discovering the way through the relations of the global setting. There should no longer be prostitution of national interests, the people and its leaders should have a good grip of the various transformations in the developing world because they are linked to the national community and it fails to relate to the country’s fundamental interest, political leadership is bound to collapse. We can’t afford another leader with serious lack of trust from its people. Benevolent leaders are urgently needed because I believe that they affect the domestic and foreign sphere of policy making.

I shall live up to my expectations

First of all I enrolled in this course because I am interested in the foreign policy process from the formulation down to its implementation. I am curious on the different factors and issues which very much influence and shape how Philippine foreign policy is crafted and carried out.

Hopefully by the end of the course, I expect myself to have grasped the theoretical and practical knowledge of the foreign policy process, and likewise the capacity to scrutinize and deliver analytical and significant insights about our country’s external relations and how it affects the domestic sphere of policy making.