Session 83: Roundtable: Mindanao: The Continuing Philippine Crisis: Sponsored by the Phillippine Studies Group

Organizer and Chair: Belinda A. Aquino, University of Hawaii, Manoa

Discussants: Bernadita R. Churchill, Philippine National Historical Society; David Wurfel, York University; Frederico V. Magdalena, University of Hawaii, Manoa; Nagasura T. Madale, Mindanao State University

This roundtable will discuss and analyze the major current issues in the continuing crisis situation in Mindanao in southern Philippines, which is now on its fourth decade. I have identified these issues for discussion: (1) Mindanao’s involvement in the current U.S.-initiated war on terrorism in Southeast Asia; (2) Protracted peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); (3) The lingering poverty and underdevelopment of Mindanao; (4) Ancestral domain; (5) Impact on Mindanao of the proposal to change the form of government from a presidential unitary system to a federal parliamentary one.

As chair, I will frame the discussion in the larger context of Philippine politics and society. Nita Churchill will deal with the historical roots of the problem. Federico Magdalena will analyze the issue of ancestral domain. Susan Russell and Nagasura Madale will discuss the peace negotiations, autonomy, and political forces like the MILF and Abu Sayyaf. David Wurfel will explore the implications of the proposal to change the political system to a parliamentary one on the Mindanao situation.

The purpose of the roundtable is to gain a thorough understanding of these complex issues. In this way, the proposed solutions to the crisis, such as those in past and current peace negotiations, can be anchored on informed and enlightened grounds, which hopefully will mark a breakthrough in the continuing impasse.