Gov’t, MILF call on public, lawmakers to support new Bangsamoro law

MANILA, Philippines – Against the backdrop of Martial Law in Mindanao, the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) called on Filipinos to back the revised draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

In a press conference on Monday, July 17, the implementing panels for the Bangsamoro peace accords presented a joint communication roadmap that will raise the awareness of the public on the bill that failed to pass in the face of public uproar over the botched Mamasapano police operation in 2015.

“This is the first time that we signed a joint communications plan,” according to Mohagher Iqbal, head of the MILF implementing panel, emphasizing its importance in pushing for the passage of the new bill and its implementation.

The MILF signed a peace agreement with the government in 2014, but the Aquino administration failed to complete the process. Many lawmakers withdrew support for the measure in the aftermath of the Mamasapano clash that claimed the lives of 44 elite cops, 17 MILF fighters, and at least 4 civilians.

Questions were also raised on the constitutionality of the of powers given by the 2015 BBL to the proposed new region that will will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“The big aim is to create the public will that will influence the political will because the people in Congress will vote for or against the bill; and they have to hear from our people,” Irene Santiago, head of the government implementing panel, said.

Santiago acknowledged the absence of a strong peace constituency when the bill was first tackled in Congress.

‘Peace tables’

Citing a recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey, Santiago said that even in Mindanao, support for the view that the Duterte administration should advocate for the passage of the BBL has slipped to negative 6 net agreement. The volatile situation in Mindanao is also a challenge.

“The next 12 months are full of opportunities but also fraught with so much danger. The dangers are staring us in the face with violent extremism as the source of the crisis in Marawi,” Santiago said.

Nearly two months since President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are still trying to flush out the remaining terrorists in Marawi City.

But there is reason to be optimistic about the approval of the bill, according to Santiago. The same survey showed that more people agree that the country will be united if the Bangsamoro will be given genuine autonomy. If passed, the law will create a new Bangsamoro region in Mindanao.

Iqbal believes that the BBL in its current form has a better chance of getting enacted this time around because the President, the Senate President, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are all from Mindanao.

The SWS survey also suggested that the peace process with Muslim rebels should continue despite the crisis in Marawi and that its success will help curb the spread of terrorist groups. Such view is what the government and the MILF seek to nurture and amplify through a campaign that will involve various sectors.

“To build a peace constituency, we organize peace tables that engage artists, members of the academe, youth… Women are the most active,” Santiago said.

Peace tables are group discussions that tackle the Bangsamoro peace process and promote attitudes that build peace at home and in communities.

‘One state, many nations’

Iqbal and Santiago also took turns in clarifying that the BBL will not lead to the secession of Mindanao from the Philippines.

“For me and the MILF, the BBL is the medium for solidarity and unity in this country. The BBL is the antidote to the dismemberment of this country,” Iqbal said.

Iqbal also noted that 20-30 % of the BBL has been improved, revised, and made concise. It is now more inclusive with clearer provisions on the creation of a provisional government and co-management of mineral resources in Mindanao.

For her part, Santiago stressed that the country will thrive in diversity if the BBL will pass.

“The opportunity is to show that diversity in this country is the source of our wealth and not the source of conflict. What we’re going to build is one state and many nations,” Santiago said. 

The government is hopeful that if the bill well be enacted within the year and ratified in a plebiscite by July 2018.

President Duterte on Monday night vowed to certify as urgent the new draft of the BBL. – Rappler.com