PGMA's Speech During the 1st Conference of Royal Sultanates on Unified and Effective Governance

Centennial Ballroom, Manila Hotel, Manila (27 August 2003)

Maraming salamat, Governor Parouk Hussin.

Alam po ninyo dahil ang gobernador ng Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao ay halal, ayon sa ating Konstitusyon hindi siya pwedeng umupo bilang kasapi ng Gabinete dahil ang Gabinete ay mga appointive officials lamang.

Ganunpaman, si Regional Governor Parouk Hussin ay non-voting observer, permanent observer sa administrasyon ng Macapagal-Arroyo Cabinet.

His Royal Highness Sultan Topaan Disomimba, Mayor of Tamparan. salamat sa iyong pag-organize nito at salamat din hindi ko makalimutan noong ako'y nagpunta sa Tamparan na ginawa n'yo akong prinsesa "Bai Labi Dimasangkay." and I would like to greet also his spouse Bai Jainari Pundato Disomimba.

I'd like to greet my good friend and old friend his Royal Highness Sultan Jamlul Kiram. Alam po n'yo si Sultan Kiram, sabi ko old friend, siyempre po ito ang mga sa sultanate of sulu. At noong ako ay batang maliit na nakatira sa Iligan, sa Lanao, kung si Tingting Cojuangco ang ating glamour girl ngayon, ang glamour girl noong panahon noon ay si Prinsesa Tarhata Kiram. Siyang aking idol noong ako ay little girl kaya ang tawag tuloy ng lola ko sa akin -- kasi 'yung aming farm ay Timoga ang pangalan -- ang tawag ng aking lola sa akin ay Prinsesa Tarhata ng Timoga. Pinangalan kay Prinsesa Tarhata na anak ng Sultan of Sulu.

I would like to greet Ambassador Ricciardone, a friend of the Muslim Filipinos and an expert in Islamic culture and language. Siyempre binabati ko ang ating host Mayor sa conference na ito, ang Mayor ng Lungsod ni Rajah Sulayman, Mayor Lito Atienza. Alam po niyo si Rajah Sulayman alam natin, palagay ko, na siya ay pamangkin ni Lakandula. Si Lakandula naman po ang aking ninuno. Kaya ako po ay disindyente rin ng Muslim culture.

I would like to greet Secretary of Justice, former Secretary of Public Works, in other words, an upright citizen of the Philippines who is one of the epitomes of the best in the Muslim world, and that is why he's held two important positions in my Cabinet, Secretary Sim Datumanong.

I would also like to greet our friend from the Armed Forces, represented by Lieutenant General Rodolfo Garcia, our Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. Narito rin, siya ay isang Muslim, BOI Governor Tony Leviste.

May I also greet the Royalties from Malaysia. and I've already mentioned Tingting Cojuangco earlier. I'd also like to greet my Presidential Assistant for Mindanao, Jess Dureza. Members of the different Sultanates, other government officials, ladies and gentlemen, assalam alaikum mga pagadi.

There is nothing greater that I wish for than a complete and lasting peace for Mindanao. A peace that is just and honorable and allows our people more space to develop their human potentials and values. A peace that is sincere and principled; a peace that upholds the law and respects the rights and traditions of our diverse ethnic communities in our multi-ethnic society.

There is nothing greater that I wish for than complete and lasting peace both in our countryside and in our corporate boardrooms so that we can create jobs and fight poverty.

Through the national government representative in the monetary board, I have asked the Central Bank to crack the whip on speculators and to use feasible monetary tools to stabilize the currency exchange market.

The government has the means to even the tide and alleviate the effects of the peso slide on the overall state of the economy. Meanwhile, we must also realize that the unfortunate brew of destabilization, black propaganda, and character assassination as political tools has affected the performance of our peso. But we are consolidating rapidly and we hope that the distraction of poisonous political controversies will die down soon.

We have to shake off the fixation on these day-to-day controversies and devote ourselves to the essential tasks of development and reform; to the essentials task of seeking peace and prosperity for the peoples of the Philippines.

We're in the final stages of preparation for peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. It reminds me of 1996 when the GRP and the MNLF peace agreement was signed in Manila, paving the way for the complete integration of the MNLF into the mainstream of governance. That complete integration is symbolized and represented in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao where the chairman of foreign relations of the MNLF is now the governor of the region of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

Now, we take the second and final leg of the journey, and I have great confidence that after years of bitter conflict, the GRP-MILF peace talks in Kuala Lumpur will be our last hurdle before we achieve a truly comprehensive and durable settlement of the conflict that has raged for more than three decades. Three decades that means since 1973 or thereabouts.

I point this out because I am happy to say that during the administration of my father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal, there was no conflict between the Muslims and the Christians in our country.

The ceasefire mechanism has already been installed on the ground and will soon be completed in all affected communities. I'm glad General Garcia is here because he represents the government of the Philippines and the Armed Forces in this ceasefire mechanism.

The peace talks will give us a stronger moral armor to fight terrorism, for as we consolidate our communities for peace and development, we will also mop up the poverty and inequity that is the spawning ground for terrorist recruits. Tingting Cojuangco as my Presidential Assistant, I have asked to help Mai Jimenez in overseeing the "Mindanao Natin" which is our program. Our Mindanao national initiative which the national government aside from the devolved LGUs and departments is working on for the development of Mindanao.

The Muslims, Christians and Lumads of Mindanao, and the Filipino people all wait upon our efforts to forge a lasting peace. I shall not disappoint you.

And once again, I would like to acknowledge the noble assistance extended by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohammad to the peace talks. I would like the royalties from Malaysia to please extend to him once again my unending gratitude for helping us move this peace talks so far forward.

I would also acknowledge as well the firm commitment of the United States to support the peace talks especially in the post-conflict rehabilitation effort, but in the many other ways by which the MILF welcomes their participation. The role of Malaysia, the role of the U.S., these are important roles. And we can also talk about the role played by Libya, the role played by Indonesia and the other members of the OIC in the historical milestones of the Mindanao peace process.

The mandates of our constitution, the rule of law and the principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity are primordial principles of our nationhood which must never be torn asunder.

In accordance with the principle of institutionalized accommodation of ethnic traditions, we shall uphold the Bangsamoro identity. We shall uphold the Bangsamoro cultural rights and way of life as well as the rights to socio-economic development and ancestral domain.

The Philippine sultanates are cherished historical institutions that must be upheld and celebrated as part of our historical realm.

The sultanate of Sulu, for instance, was recognized by our neighboring countries with which it maintained vibrant trade and social relations.

You, the Sultans, are our temporal and spiritual leaders. Although the Philippine constitution has replaced the sultanate system with the republican form of government, our Muslim brothers continue to identify themselves with the sultans as a matter of tradition. After all, even in Europe where many kingdoms have been replaced by a republic, the aristocracy, the nobility is still recognized not necessarily constitutionally or officially but culturally and traditionally.

For instance, Italy is a republic but we still call many of its aristocrats "count so and so" and so on, because we continue in our different cultures to respect our ancient traditions. But we must remember not to go to the extreme because at the extreme some of our Muslim brothers have such strong loyalties to their families, their clans, their ethnic communities or even their sultanates, if you will, that they sometimes forget that they are Filipinos, too, that they must belong to one nation and one sovereignty.

I am very happy that in the earlier remarks I heard in this hall, the sultans all recognized that that the sultanates are a wonderful tradition and your aristocratic place in our society is still there -- you are all part of one Philippine Republic.

Today, our sultanates must be at the vanguard of peace and development in Mindanao.

I ask you, the sultans, to add your own fine stone to the building of a strong Republic.

Sometimes I hear my critics say, "oh, she is doing this, she is doing that. It's like this is like that. But, so why is she bragging that we have a strong Republic." I have never bragged that we have a strong Republic. What I have said is that we must recognize the need to build a strong Republic. And by your being here, I take it to mean that you are willing to contribute the fine stone of the sultanates to that edifice that is the strong Republic for the Philippines for the 21st century.

I have said it time and again that unless we, as a people, come to terms with Mindanao, we will never attain our full promise as a nation.

Muslim Mindanao for so many years suffered economic exclusion. And this has led to severe deprivation and conflict.

It is the time for us to share common goals and aspirations.

As a final note, therefore, if we are to share common goals and aspirations, let me reiterate the principles that define my Mindanao policy:

The first principle is that our ultimate objective should be both peace and development;

Second, our framework for peace and development must be based on constitutionality, national sovereignty and territorial integrity;

Third, our society is a multi-ethnic society, and we must recognize that, one which should be founded on social justice for all and the institutionalized accommodation of ethnic traditions.

To these three fundamental principles of peace and development going together, of constitutional integrity, and of multi-ethnicity of our society, we add a fourth that is so relevant to the challenges of our times. And this fourth principle is that -- we unconditionally reject terrorism as a universal scourge of all nations and creeds.

You and I are part of this mandate to build a strong Republic. And I am very happy that you're all here noblemen and noblewomen of our noble race, our noble multi-ethnic race. May your presence, may your coming together bring about a stronger partnership between the great civilizations that are all part of one great Philippine nation.

Thank you.

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