I have written extensively about the Moro struggle; in fact, many of my friends will remember how I opposed the single-minded battle for Independence . Some even accused
me of being unpatriotic to the Moro cause, but I have insisted on my being a
realist. My favorite metaphor was to aim for the star, but I will be content if I catch the moon instead, and I think that is precisely what the MILF did. I have
always maintained a give-and-take approach in which the movement accepts some
form of federalized autonomy but not independence. I have always maintained (if
my friends remember) that the ARMM is the only piece of Mindanao
that the government is capable of giving away. Either take it and turn it into
something, or get nothing and keep on fighting an endless war. Had Nur Misuari
turned ARMM into something when it was handed to him on a silver platter, the struggle would have ended with him, but he failed and failed miserably. For him
to be a spoiler now is treason. Realism finally wins the day :-)
(25 minutes)
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