Media Statement on Sulu Governor Abdulsakur Tan
Free Cocoy Tulawie Movement
9 June 2012

The undersigned peace advocates and human rights defenders are gravely concerned about recent reports on the announcement of Sulu Governor Abdulsakur Tan, a known warlord and human rights violator, of his plan to run as next Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor, while his son will take on his position as next Governor of Sulu. The current reform efforts in the ARMM will surely be put to waste if we turn this over to another “Ampatuan-like” politician.

We therefore condemn his plan to run as ARMM governor.

Also, while we applaud the move of the Philippine government to include the ARMM governors as observers in the recent GPH-MILF peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we take exception, however, to their move in bringing Abdulsakur Tan to the peace talks. His presence is anathema to the desired changes that we envision for the Bangsamoro people. He is the classic example of the status quo that is already unacceptable. Thus, parading him to Malaysia is a big insult to the international community who are supporting the peace talks.

We therefore question his sincerity and moral standing to sit as an observer to the peace talks when he is very cause of the state of unpeace in Sulu.

In Sulu, militarization, proliferation of private armies, warrantless arrests, deprivation of civil liberties, massacres of innocent civilians, gang rapes, and sexual violence became widespread under Sakur Tan’s administration. He implemented the ID card system in the guise of helping military authorities combat terrorism but which was heavily protested for being discriminatory to culture and religion, especially among Muslims. In blatant violation of the constitution, he illegally declared a State of Emergency in Sulu, which resulted in the arrests of several innocent civilians.

We appeal to President Noynoy Aquino never to reinvent another Ampatuan in the ARMM. He promised the Filipino people to dismantle private armies. If the President is indeed serious about this, he should immediately disarm Sakur Tan’s thousands of private armies in Sulu. Concretely, he must immediately revoke EO 546 that allows Local Chief Executives to arm civilians.

We also call upon Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Preace Process (OPAPP) and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to support the reform efforts in the ARMM and stop patronizing Sakur Tan. They should unmask and expose Sakur Tan rather than paint him as a sheep, when he is clearly the remnants of warlordism that up to now terrorizes people in Sulu. A wolf hiding in a sheepskin is still a wolf.

Instead of patronizing a warlord as a peacemaker, we recommend the following:

1. Declare an audit on the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and all
government funds released to the Provincial government of Sulu
2. Conduct a Congressional inquiry on the Human Rights situation in Sulu
3. For the Ombudsman to investigate the Statement of Assets Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of Sakur Tan

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