Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro calls for peace panel to sit down with LGUs on GRP-MILF MOA

August 11, 2008

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

The Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro is now appealing to Malacañang and the government peace panel to “to really sit down” and discuss the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain with local government officials (LGUs) from Mindanao who must then relay all information to their people down to the grassroots level.

The Archdiocese is also requesting everyone particularly Mindanaowons, regardless of creed, political belief and religion, to take the time to offer special prayers for calmness, for peace and for the early resolution of all the controversies surrounding the above GRP-MILF agreement.

Archdiocese vicar general Msgr. Rey Monsanto said there are now “misunderstandings” that have surfaced as the contents of the GRP-MILF MOA on ancestral domain were not discussed with local government officials.

He said there is also “something questionable” on how the GRP-MILF MOA on ancestral domain was signed by the peace panel as authorized by the national government without getting the consensus from local officials.

Monsanto cited how even local government unit (LGU) officials from areas affected by the ancestral domain agreement were staging not informed about the contents of the agreement before it was signed.

Also, he said Cagayan de Oro Second District Cong. Rufus Rodriguez mentioned that Congress did not receive a copy of the ancestral domain agreement.

“So, we are calling upon the people from Malacañang and the members of the government’s peace panel to sit down and talk to our local government unit officials para usab maistudyuhan daan ang tanan ug mapa-abot ug mapasabot sa atong katawhan,” he told Gold Star Daily.

Monsanto said, unless the proper government authorities and the local government officials properly discuss and relay all information to the people before pushing for the full implementation of the agreement, there will be more problems for Mindanao.

He said this as he quoted constitutional law expert Fr. Joaquin Bernas and other legal luminaries as saying that the MOA would have been nothing but a mere firearm without ammunition as it still needed the people’s nod through a plebiscite and enabling laws but that LGU officials were not informed about it.

Monsanto said unless this “cloud” surrounding the ancestral domain MOA is blown away there will be more misunderstandings in the future.

Because of this, Monsanto who is the parish priest for the Jesus of Nazarene Parish said he had already asked his parishioners to offer special prayers for this controversy to be soon resolved peacefully.

“Gubot gyud kaayo (It will really be problems) mao gihangyo nako ang tanan nga mag-ampo kita nga dili magubot ug mapatawag gyud ang atong mga local government unit chief executives para mapasabot kini tanan,” he said.

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Written by admin · Filed Under Cagayan de Oro