Lobregat launches docu on BJE/MOA-AD
Mayor Celso Lobregat Saturday night formally launched the documentary on the city’s fight against Zamboanga’s inclusion on the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) through the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) supposed to have been forged by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Entitled “In Defense of Zamboanga, Mindanao, the Constitution and the Republic,” the video documentary chronicles the struggle to thwart attempts to railroad the inclusion of Zamboanga, Mindanao and other parts of the country in regions or entities that will be borne out of interim peace agreements done without consultation.
“This was produced for posterity and for this generation and the generations to come to understand the issues and the challenges that we went through,” Mayor Lobregat said. “This highlights our sincere and steadfast intention to protect the sovereignty and integrity of Zamboanga, Mindanao, the constitution and the Republic.”
People representing all sectors in the city positively responded to the mayor’s invitation to the documentary launching and despite the short notice, the convention center of the Garden Orchid Hotel in Gov. Camins was filled to the brim. Those who attended were the same people fully supported and assisted in the fight against the BJE/MOAD-AD spearheaded by Mayor Lobregat and Representatives Beng Climaco and Erbie Fabian last year.
“This is clear indication that Zamboangueños are very much interested on what is happening, what has happened and what is going to happen,” the mayor reiterating that the production of the documentary is mainly for posterity.
The documentary traces back to the days of the anti-SPCPD (Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development) campaign then led by Lobregat’s mother, Ma’am Caling, who joined forces with two other women—Luwalhati Antonino and Daisy Avance Fuentes—collectively known as Tres Marias in 1995, until the days of the BJE-MOA-AD, which was declared unconstitutional and contrary to law by the Supreme Court last October 14, 2008.
The SPCPD was an offshoot of an interim agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the mid-90’s while the BJE-MOA-AD was a result of the provisional peace agreements entered into by the government and the MILF.
Mayor Lobregat’s 22-minute presentation of oral arguments before the Supreme Court, which many believe, helped influence the favourable decision of the Supreme Court, is one of the main highlights of the almost an hour documentary.
No less than Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, who was arguing for the government side, has high regards for Mayor Lobregat saying that the chief executive “carried the ball for the opposition”. North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol, who led the anti-BJE/MOA-AD struggle in North Cotabato, also highly praised Lobregat for his eloquent presentation of facts substantiating the points raised in the petitions. (Sheila Covarrubias)