The Bangsa Moro: fighting for freedom during the war on terror: the Muslim Independence Movement of the Southern Philippines

Abstract

[Introduction]: This paper chronologically traces the various hostile events and the subsequent peace attempts from 1972 to the present time (2005). The paper will attempt to answer why past peace negotiations were unsuccessful and what was the catalyst for the resumption of hostilities. As well the paper will try to determine why a sustainable peace in Mindanao involving its Muslim minority population was unattainable during the five Philippine administrations from 1972. They were, Ferdinand Marcos to February 1986, Corazon Aquino: February 1986- June 1992, Fidel Valdez Ramos: June 1992- May 1998, Joseph Estrada: May1998: January 2001, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo: January 2001- present time. Finally an analysis of the current peace talks, initiated by the USIP and currently being held in Malaysia will be made together with an analytical prediction of possible outcomes.