The Parallel Nation

"Philippines" is a bastardized nation, the "special child" of colonization.

On the other hand, "Sulu Sultanate" is the most poweerful nation in the Southeast Asia before the colonizers (Spaniard and Americans) came -- the great Rajah Soliman of Tondo was paying homage (tax) to the Sulu Sultanate when the Spaniards came. Now it is called Bangsamoro Land (Mindanao, Sulu, Palawan, Sabah) and its army is the Moro national Liberation Front (MNLF).

DUAL CITIZENS

When I was appointed Director of Advocacy of the MNLF in December of 2010, I noticed that the leaders of the MNLF teach "Moro, Not Filipino", but they have Philippine Passports. Immediately, one of the major reform I did in the education and advocacy in the MNLF is to replace the doctrine of "Moro Not Filipino" with doctrine of "Dual Citizenship".

The Republic of the Philippines and Bangsamoro Nation co-exists as a parallel nations, their respective governments overlapping on the same space of land. We, the present generation of Bangsamoro People, people who are born after 1935 in Mindanao, Sulu, Palawan and Sabah, consider ourselves DUAL CITIZENS -- we are citizens of Philippines as well as citizens of Bangsamoro Nation.

Wondered why Jose Rizal was "exiled" to Dapitan, Zamboanga? "Exiled" because Zamboanga, which is part of Mindanao, is not part of Philippines during Rizal's time. It was only in 1935 Philippine Constitution that major parts of Bangsamoro Land (Mindanao, Sulu, Palawan) were annexed as part of the Philippine Territory despite the Bangsamoro Nation's documented rejection of the proposal that invites them to join Philippines.

For almost so long already, the Philippines have cruelly suppressed the Bangsamoro People, stealing their lands using the so-called "homestead titles", and pushing it into the edge of extinction.

PHILIPPINE-BANGSAMORO FRIENDSHIP

Does MNLF treats Philippines as its enemy? Hell NO! MNLF is an open secessionist movement, we struggle for independence of Bangsamoro Land. As I said, we consider ourselves as DUAL CITIZENS -- citizen of Bangsamoro Mindanao and citizens of Philippines. As Bangsamoro People, we are first-class citizens in Mindanao, but we are only second-class citizens in Philippines. That is why we want to have a nation of our own. Nevertheless, we don't want Mindanao and Philippines to end up as enemies. We want Mindanao and Philippines to treat each other as best friend neighbor, brothers and sisters, and the idea of closing the borders between independent Mindanao and Philippines never crossed our mind.

THE RIGHT TO ADVOCATE POLITICAL REFORMS

Although we are Bangsamoro citizens, being Filipino citizens at the same time, we have all the rights to criticize, exhort, and struggle for reforms in the Philippines. So please, don't call us insurgents if we criticize our OWN country.

As Filipino citizens, we have all the right to participate in Philippine politics, whether as mere voter, an exhortationist, a catalyst of reforms, or a public official. With regards to Sabah, we might not do anything as Filipino citizens, but as Bangsamoro Citizens, we have patriotic duty to sacrifice our lives to recover and maximize our benefit from the fruits of the Sabah land because we, the Bangsamoro People, own it.

Not until the Philippines stops suppressing our Bangsamoro Nation, it can never progress economically; it will continue to suffer territorial disintegration and internal conflict as a result of its disillusion that started in 1935.

You see that Philippine Flag, it was designed in 1898, and the Bangsamoro Land was never in the mind of its designers/sewers during that time when they were sewing the flag. They teach in school now that the three stars represents Luzon Visayas and Mindanao -- well, the truth is, it does not. You want to know what the 3 stars represent?

MUSLIM INSURGENTS?

Muslim insurgents? Muslim secessionists? The hell, NO! That's what they ignorantly brand us with their pea-size brain and TV-educated values. In referring to the MNLF, the only correct word up there is "secessionist". MNLF, the army of the Bangsamoro Nation, is neither exclusive to Muslims nor an insurgent to Philippine Laws. I am a Christian, and one of the leaders of the MNLF.

[I heard a side comment] Ahhhhh so they are referring to the MILF when they say Muslim insurgents. That's what I am telling you, the MILF was created, to mix among us, simply to brand us "Muslims" and brand us "insurgents" and create this perception that Muslims are "terrorists". I hate it when a person erroneously calls an MNLF, MILF -- it is a false allegation at pornographic proportion.

WHAT IS A SECESSIONIST?

A secessionist is a person who finds ways and means to liberate his own people out of a political bondage of colonization or domestic discrimination towards a formation of a new independent nation. There are many layers of political activists, the lowest level is the terrorist insurgent; the mid-level are the reformists; but the highest level of honor and patriotism is the secessionist. All national heroes, of whatever nation, is a secessionist.

When we, the MNLF, are called secessionists, we should be proud of it. It means we are already in our senior year to becoming heroes of the great Bangsamoro Nation.