TIME AND TIME AGAIN I HAVE BEEN EXPRESSING MY UNSOLICITED SUGGESTION THAT ANY PEACE PROCESS AIMED AT RESOLVING THE MINDANAO CONFLICT SHOULD BE CONDUCTED WITHIN THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE DE FACTO AND DE JURE STATEHOOD OF MINDANAO AND SULU AS SEPARATE, INDEPENDENT, AND SOVEREIGN STATES AND NEVER AS INTEGRAL POLITICAL COMPONENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES FOR THE UNCONTESTED FACT THAT THESE TWO SULTANATES ANTEDATE THE EXISTENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES BY MORE THAN FOUR HUNDRED YEARS RECKONED FROM THE DATE OF ITS ESTABLISHMENT AS AN INDEPENDENT CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY ON JULY 4, 1946 GRANTED BY THE UNITED STATES BY VIRTUE OF THE TYDINGS-MCDUFFIE LAW. ANY PEACE PROCESS CONDUCTED OUTSIDE THE ABOVE-CITED HISTORICAL CONTEXT, TO ME, IS WITHOUT RELEVANCE AND WILL NEVER BRING ABOUT THE COMPLETE RESOLUTION OF THE MINDANAO CRISIS.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 06:37:57 +0000