The Spratly Islands are a group of reefs and islets in the South China Sea. It is a very rich fishing ground and a source of potential oil and gas deposits. Moreover, its location is very strategic. Therefore, it has been a source of conflict among the surrounding countries. The case of the Spratly Islands have six claimants, namely the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the almighty China. These Asian countries have established their assertions on the proximity and economic advantages provided by the group of islands. The Philippines, for instance, defends its claim through the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It states that certain portions of the Spratlys are part of the country’s continental margin.
Above all, China is considered as the major claimant and has the upper hand over the case. Naming them as Nansha, China claims the entire chain of islands through its historical and archaeological evidences. It furthered that it has been the owner of the Spratlys since time immemorial when it was still dubbed as the Middle Kingdom, and that of the South China Sea is its lake.
China has been regarded as the most notorious among the six claimants of the Spratly Islands. It was reported that Chinese scientists were continuously probing the area. Military structures were also installed as well as shelters for fishermen. This action of China sparked conflicts against the other claimants. For instance, sometime in 1995, at least 60 Chinese fishermen were detained by the Philippine military for illegal entry and fishing.
The case of the Spratly Islands was resolved through the signing of ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including the six claimants, in 2002 at Phnom Penh of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. In this treaty, China recognizes friendship among the claimants, cooperation and management of the Spratly Islands, and the further tackling of the issue in international and regional fora.
The agreement has fairly diminished the controversy surrounding the Spratlys. However, it only goes to show that China has won the crusade, precluding ownership and exercise of sovereignty over the Islands by the other claimants.
The Bangsa Moro struggle for self-determination, on the other hand, is considered one of the prevailing ethnic conflicts in the Philippines. This inconsistency between Filipino Muslims and Christians is considered to be the longest in Asia and in the world, dating back from the arrival of Muslim influences to the country.
The Bangsa Moro is the generic name for the thirteen ethno-linguistic Muslim tribes in the Philippines, consisting of a quarter of the population in Mindanao. They share a distinct culture, speak different dialects, but share a common belief in Islam. It is noted that this group was about to declare its autonomy as a Muslim state, separate from the present Philippine archipelago, until foreign imperialists, such as the Spaniards and the Americans, delivered a deathblow to their aspirations. Instead, a culture foreign and incompatible to their own was forced upon them to swallow.
Through the years, the Moro people have fought for their autonomy. Different administrations have passed and have sought to remedy the problem by creating two administrative autonomous regions and the signing of the Tripoli Agreement, a formal written document which made the Philippine government recognize the Moro people’s right to self-determination. Nevertheless, all of these proved to be inadequate in helping the Moro people achieve the autonomy that they had long desired. Dissatisfied as they were, the Moro people organized revolutionary groups to continue their fight, such as the Moro National Liberation Front, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group.
Presently, majority of the Moro people in the south of the Philippines live in poverty. They work as peasant farmers or fishermen. Non-governmental organizations play the role of instructing capability-building measures and educating these poverty-stricken Filipino Muslims.
The Bangsa Moro struggle for self-government deserves to be laid to rest. It is high time that the government realize that the Moro people are also Filipinos who, although distinct as they are in their ways, desire that their culture be preserved and respected. With them being victims of government centralization and neglect, it is but right that the government should now pay attention to their needs. Accommodation policies could be adopted like granting the Moro people regional autonomy. In this manner, they could thrive in their own culture. Respect shall prevail between them belonging to a different faith and the dominant Filipino Christians. Implanting the idea that they belong to a national organization which is the Philippines and that they themselves are Filipinos should, above all, be instilled in them. (Sheena Ricarte, Peace Education class, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, 2004).
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The Spratly Islands And Bangsa Moro Conflicts In The Philippines
