Jess Dureza Claims TRO on MoA-AD is "Moot and Academic"

Press Secretary Jess Dureza, (formerly Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) has just told ABSCBN News that the issues raised by North Cotabato Vice-Gov. Manny Pinol and other local government officials over the GRP-MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) have been rendered MOOT AND ACADEMIC after the Palace gave them copies following the Supreme Court's Temporary Restraining Order last week. Unfortunately for him and Malacanang former Senate President Frank Drilon and Opposition Senator Mar Roxas have filed petitions to intervene in the case over the central Constitutional issues involved. I recorded their "debate" on the early evening news today:

Manuel L. Quezon III has a huge roundup on this issue today on The Perils of Partition.

Meanwhile, Korina Sanchez also had a hilarious interview with Pastor Boy Saycon and Butch Valdez of the Philippine Larouche Society, with which i think the "chair-wrecker" Billy Esposo is also affiliated. Wikipedia's entry on the Larouche Movement offers an interesting insight:

The Washington Monthly writes that the LaRouche movement has been referred to as Marxist, fascist, a political cult, a personality cult, a criminal enterprise, and "one of the strangest political groups in American history."^[2] The magazine argues it would be more accurate to call the movement a "vast and bizarre vanity press."^[2] The movement promotes a number of beliefs which are called conspiracy theories by critics. Some of these beliefs have been accused of being anti-Semitic.^[3]

The crackpot trio's basic thesis is that the United States is supporting the MILF-GRP MOA-AD because it wants to turn Bangsamoro Juridical Entity into its protectorate for the purpose of setting up a military base in Mindanao in preparation for an impending war with China. They interpret even the war in Iraq and threats on Iran as a way of crimping China's ability to get oil, and claim the US is trying to corner "the remaining mineral and other natural resources of the world" such as those in the Philippines.

SourceWatch of the Center for Media and Democracy considers the Larouche Movement to be a cult of conspiracy theorists...

(I'm still trying to stop LOL...)

John Marzan (Politics '04) wonders if it would make me happy to see a US Military Base on Mindanao from which to fight the War on Terror in this region. MY answer is: NO! (probably the same as the US itself). It is more important that Filipinos help in the effort by getting rid of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo by 2010, if not sooner. She's been the greatest source of trouble for that effort because certain American officials, like US Ambassador Kristie Kenney seems to be totally fooled by her, and ought to be recalled by abetting the debacle unfolding before our eyes around this silly MOA-AD with that visit to the MILF last February. I hope the State Dept. recalls her soon.