Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
ARMM
Bangsamoro Juridical Entity
Office on Muslim Affairs

I addressed the letter below to the addressees listed below. I personally delivered each letter to their respective offices today. Let us see what type of response we are going to get. I won't be surprised if I won't get a reply at all because in the past none of the addressees listed below would debate the issue of the ARMM or OMA. They would rather talk about the BJE and the MOA. But I do hope that they would answer so that you the public will know where they stand.

September 1, 2008

To:                   Archbishop Fr. Romulo G. Valles, D.D. – Archdiocese of Zamboanga City

                        Fr. Tony Moreno S. J. – President of Ateneo de Zamboanga University

                        Hon. Celso L. Lobregat – Mayor of Zamboanga City

                        Hon. Manuel Jose Dalipe – Vice-Mayor of Zamboanga City

                        Hon. Erico Fabian – Congressman of Zamboanga City District II

                        Hon. Maria Isabelle Climaco – Congresswoman of Zamboanga City District I

From:              Webmaster – Zamboanga.com

Zamboanga.com would like to know your opinion regarding the questions below:

1. Article 2 section 6 of the Philippine Constitution states:”The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.”
   1. Do you think we should uphold the “SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE”?
       

2. If we uphold article II section 6 of the Philippine constitution which is the “Separation of church and state”,
   Doesn’t it make this whole issue of the MOA unconstitutional since the MOA favors only the Muslims?
    

3. Thousands of years before Christianity or Islam settled in this archipelago, (now the Philippines) the indigenous people were here. The blood line of these indigenous people (Subanons, Lutaos, Samals, Bajaus, Tausugs, and Yakans) now run in veins of the people in Mindanao, some of them now Christians, some Muslims, and some belong to other religions. The Muslims arrived in the archipelago (Philippines) in the 14^th century. The Christians arrived in the 16^th century.
   1. Do you think the Subanons, Lutaos, Samals, Bajaus, Tausugs, and Yakans have a claim to ancestral domain?
   2. Do you think the Muslims in Mindanao have a claim to ancestral domain?
   3. If these tribes (Subanons, Lutaos, Samals, Bajaus, Tausugs, and Yakans) were converted to Christianity instead of Islam, Do you think the government would give Christianity ancestral domain in Mindanao?
   4. Can a religion claim ancestral domain?
       

4. Article 10 section 1 of the Philippine constitution refers to Mindanao as “Muslim Mindanao”. In Article 10 section 15 it repeats its reference to Mindanao as “Muslim Mindanao”.
   1. Do you think the “architects” of the 1987 Philippine Constitution sold out Mindanao by referring to it as “Muslim Mindanao”?
       

5. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was created under Republic Act 6734, which followed the direction of Article 10 section 15 of the Philippine Constitution.
   1. However, isn’t this contradictory to Article 2 section 6 which states: ”The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.”?
   2. Isn’t it unconstitutional for the Philippine Government to continue supporting the Muslim religion financially and not any other religion? E.g. OMA (office on Muslim affairs) and the ARMM

Your answers to the above questions will help enlighten the readers and viewers of zamboang.com and hopefully the rest of the Filipino people who may have the same inquiries. Please, email your reply to frank@maletsky.com.

Webmaster/Editor

http://www.zamboanga.com