By JOSEPH ARNEL DELIVERIO
Sibugay Express and VERA Files
MORO National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari will question the legality of the recent oil exploration and drilling in the Sulu Sea, saying such activities should be coursed through the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and not through the national government.
Misuari issued the statement during his visit to Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay last weekend to grace the Fifth Grand Summit of the MNLF and the Bangsa Moro Army. More than 20,000 of its members from all over Mindanao attended.
Misuari, who is running for governor of Sulu province next year, said the national government cannot grant permits for oil explorations and drilling in the Sulu Sea without consulting ARMM leaders.
“That cannot be done, unless the government forgot about the peace agreement,” said Misuari, a former ARMM governor. “Definitely I will question the legality of the exploration there, without us the autonomous region handling the negotiations and drawing up some plans that will benefit our people.”
Misuari said he would raise the issue at the resumption of the peace talks with the government this month.
He recalled that the people of Mindanao never benefitted from the sale of natural gas in Palawan when then President Fidel Ramos negotiated the sale of 2.5 trillion cubic meters of gas for only P4.5 billion.
“Palawan is an integral part of Mindanao,” Misuari said. “This belongs to us, this belongs to our people.”
He said that the oil drilling in the Sulu Sea is expected to yield as much as 800 million barrels of oil.
The MNLF was once a potent rebel organization that fought for Mindanao ’s secession for almost two decades.
In 1996, Misuari forged a peace pact with Ramos, which resulted in the laying down of MNLF arms and Misuari’s rise as governor of the then newly created ARMM.
The ARMM today is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Marawi, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi.
Misuari also said the issue of mining for “strategic minerals” in Mindanao was part of the MNLF’s peace treaty with the government of the Philippines.
ExxonMobil, the largest publicly listed oil company in the world, has been exploring for oil in the Sulu Sea. Sources say the oil deposits there could supply the country’s fuel requirements for seven years.
The Sulu Sea is also rich in marine resources and connects the South China Sea and Celebes Sea, which serve as routes for tuna and other varieties of fish going in and out of the Pacific Ocean.