Failure in governance gave birth to the MILF. Vested interests, stupidity and deceit produced the MOA-AD with MILF. The MOA-AD resulted in the present bloody and costly Mindanao conflict.

RA 8371 entitled “The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997″ recognized the AD problem and prescribed measures to address it. Because of its dismal implementation by both ERAP and Gloria tribal groups continued to be the embodiment of government neglect or apathy. MILF expressed tribal unrest more harshly than the rest.

Hearings by the Supreme Court showed that the MOA-AD is indefensible. The Solicitor General defends said MOA by saying that the government is abandoning it. It was exposed as plain stupidity or recklessness, but some see it as a veiled attempt to bring about a cha-cha that would make way for Gloria’s extension of term. Displaced families could sue her for damages, if she is no longer immune from suit.

The MILF saw the MOA-AD as a sign of weakness of the government. Why else would it agree to a virtual sell-out? So, it or its lost command, sowed terror hoping that the government would be cowed further into submission. It failed to reckon with a determined military that acted even before the dazed Supreme Commander could issue the command.

Another failure in governance gave rise to a determined group who offer federalism as a permanent solution to the conflict. It is its way of saying that Local Autonomy failed. It did not bother to see why it failed, and what could possibly be done to make it work. It simply issued an invitation to an expensive and dangerous exercise in futility. There is no way voters would approve of more Senators, Congressmen and bureaucracy.

Federalism promises to solve the AD problem by complicating it! The system would integrate two or more indigenous people in a State, and then start thinking of ways to attend to it. It would abandon a simple and doable procedure in favor of a solution that has yet to be studied and legitimized!

The short term remedy would be to run after the criminals and maintain peace and order. The long-term process is to go to individual tribes and attend to their problems guided by RA 8371. An act of genuine concern for the welfare of the less privileged will never be too late particularly since it would also benefits other adjoining communities and groups of people. Also, divide and rule.