by Virgilio Leyretana
On May 10, 2010, Filipinos will mark history as they cast votes for this country’s new leaders through the very first automated elections. Around 57.5 million of the more than 95 million Filipinos are Mindanawons who will troop to the precincts on May 10, 2010, to choose their President along with national and local leaders with whom they shall entrust the present and future of the 1.6 million square kilometer-island dubbed as the “Land of Promise”.
In a special report entitled “The ‘Presidentiables’ and Mindanao 2010-2016:Their Mindanao” by Mindanews, the island’s leading online news agency, on 04 April 2010, it said that majority of Mindanawnons “from across Mindanao, want a President who would not just make promises but fulfill the promises; who knows how to deal with and help the poor; who will not be corrupt; is trustworthy; has a good character and is helpful; God-fearing, principled; has a vision for our future; and someone who can unite all the diverse peoples of Mindanao.”
Having lived in Mindanao particularly in Cotabato City for more than 50 years and served the government for almost 36 years in various capacities (four years of which as chairman of MEDCo), I believe I have seen through the island’s unique and historic past and have fully understood Mindanao’s historicity and ethnicity as well as of the multi-dimensional developmental concerns, issues and problems confronting Mindanao. I share the majority of Mindanawon’s real aspiration to see Mindanao becomes a fulfilled promise.
While my personal hopes are still high for Mindanao to become more peaceful and progressive under a new leadership, I am saddened to note that rarely was Mindanao mentioned by the presidentiables. In fact, not one of them has an in-depth articulation about Mindanao.
Moreover, neither of them has respectively explained how will they solve the separatist and the insurgency problems as well as the social injustices in Mindanao.
Furthermore, nobody has also explained their respective positions on the Sabah issue as well as the overlapping maritime boundaries delimitations with eight (8) other countries, Considering that the Philippines is an archipelagic maritime country. The presidentiables have not likewise made known their positions on the issues and problems affecting the Coral Triangle, the world’s largest marine biodiversity area, and the precarious status of tuna industry. The presidentiables have not also disclosed their respective positions on constitutional amendments and on federalism. Given their vague motherhood statements, what is in store for Mindanao after the 2010 elections and beyond?
Indeed, what do they respectively really intend to do with Mindanao? Does Mindanao really matter to them?
As early as March this year, as the chairman of the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), I officially invited all Presidentiables for an individual briefing on Mindanao Updates, particularly about the Republic Act 9996, an Act creating the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the Mindanao 2020 Peace and Development Framework Plan. Nobody responded, except for a non-leading (according to surveys) Kapatiran presidential bet, JC Delos Reyes. Are the presidentiables ignoring Mindanao or merely unmindful? Is this reflective of our Presidential wannabes’ ambivalence and lack commitment to Mindanao?
Whichever way we look at them, it is a lamentable fact, that no presidential candidate has really made a categorical vision statement for Mindanao despite Mindanao’s critical role to nation-building and the country’s overall welfare.
