The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on the signing of a memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels and the Philippine government which was supposed to be signed today ( 6Aug08 ) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The deal gives up part’s of the country’s sovereignty to the rebels in exchange for a peace pact to end nearly 40 years of conflict.
In Zamboanga City, thousands of residents – from all faiths, converged as early as 8 a.m. infront of city hall wearing red shirts to demonstrate their protest in the territory agreement.
Mayor Celso Lobregat angrily read the copy of the ancestral domain deal which included parts of the city. Lobregat said that the downtown area – including the city hall and the Metropolitan Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral, and Muslim domainated barangays [in which residents themselves do not want to be included] were part of the proposed territory. “Not only that, the waters from little Sta. Cruz to Palawan is included.”
Zamboanga City joined thousands and thousands more protesting in North Cotabato and Iligan.
However, when the Supreme Court issued the TRO, the city became jubilant. [We were filing our stories and photos at the city hall when Mayor Lobregat happily approached us announcing the news.]
The Supreme Court decision, which was in response to the petitions filed by North Cotabato and Zamboanga, also orders the solicitor general to submit copies of the final draft of the ancestral domain deal for proper scrutinty.
[It was a scrorching sunny day yesterday ( 5Aug08 ) but students, officeworkers and residents stood the heat to demonstrate their protest. Students shouted "No to BJE (Bangsamoro Juridical Entity)" after the crowd sang Zamboanga Hermosa. The well-guarded protest ended close to 11 a.m.]
Posted by Charlie Saceda 
