{UAH} Phippines

Attention Robukui/Robert Atuhairwe/Rajab Ali

My trip to the Philippines turned out to be very eventful. Although I was in Mindanao, I also travelled to Manila. I attended some of the preliminary hearings in the trial of the communist leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon. It is still early days really- but they seemed to be in very good spirits. They wrere brought to court by a battalion of heavily armed soldiers, driving tanks and other military hardwrae. It was almost as if they were going to battle. The army claimed the pair are so dangerous that they could not take any chances. Outside court was a demonstartion of some 100,000 of their supporterse demanding their release. But the government also staged their own drama: they manufactured a "confrontation" between the pair, as they were being brought to court, with a group of over 100 weeping children, who they claim are orphans of soldiers and policemen killed by the New Peoples Army of whom they allege Benito Tiamzon is still the commander.  And in aa earlier bizarre legal twist, they decided to charge Benito with the murder of 15,999 soldiers and policemen who have died in battle against the NPA since 1986 when Benito became the Chairman of the Communist Party and as well as Commander of the NPA.. No doubt, this will be very difficult to prove in court, since so far they can not even proved the identity of this man who has never been seen in public since 1972 when Marcos declared Martial law.

There are two parallel peace processes, the first is the  one with Muslim Mindanao which was signed two months ago, but the Constitutional amendments to implement it are still being worked on. I did not agree with the Peace Deal as I believe it is sets back the national cause of the muslim people, but I have agreed to help them negotiate as good a deal they can get in the circumstances. Rajab Ali would note in this regard that they propose to make me a full citizen of the Autonomous Muslim State of Mindanao when it it is declared. The one thing I have strongly pushed them to accept is the NDF policy of a comprehensive agrarian reform programme that would abolish all previous land tenancies and replace it with one that puts a limit on land-holdings and gives full legal rights to the peasant cultivators many of whom are currently merely squatters on the land they till.

The second peace process is with the NDF itself. These negotiation s have been taking place in Oslo Norway, but have now been temporaily suspended because of the arrest of the Tiamzon couple. I do not know how this will pan out because the NPA has since gone into full war against the Philippines government.

I met up with my former host organisations- The FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE GROUP and the TASK FORCE DETAINEES OF THE PHILIPPINES. I was shocked the FLAG has now become a national organisation with over 100 branches spread across the length and breadth of the country. The FLAG have once again asked me to go back to run a programme for them . It is a 9 month programme, actually on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Programme and why it is the basis for any durable and long-lasting peaceful settlement of the Philippines conflict, which has been running since 1945, now the longest civil war in the world, which has claimed thousands of lives.It is a funded programme, but it means I would have to ask for unpaid leave from my current position as SENIOR CONTRACTS LAWYER in the  National Health Service. I think the stipend for the role is about $45,000 for the 9 months, but this is not even a half of what I earn as a government lawyer, albeit it the cost of living in the Philippines is much lower than London.

I will balance it all up with my desire to go back to Uganda-returning to the Philipines will probably tie me even tighter into their politics, but I will have to make up my mind by june.

I will be out  of he UAH anyway, I am fed up with it. Its has descended into a gutter press and I dont want to be associated with it any longer. On this I will write later.

George Okello