The Mindanao Civil Society Organization Platform for Peace (MCSOPP) in coordination with the Consortium of Civil Society Organizations conducted consultations-dialogue with officials of local government units of Basilan and other local NGO’s at BASELCO Conference hall, Isabela City on May 17, 2014.
According to Allan Pisingan, Head of the organizers there are five series of consultations scheduled in Basilan alone and this would be the first and it would be followed by another four consultations soonest possible time.
The participants were the provincial governor, mayors, councilors and heads of government line agencies. Most of the mayors were not present but they sent their representatives on their behalf. Commissioner Peter Eisma and Commissioner Al Camlian were the invited resource persons.
Those that attended were Vice Governor Sakkalahul, Provincial Board Member Candu I. Muarip, former Provincial Board Member Jubaira Said, Isabela City Councilor Nida Dans, Noel Baul of Lamitan City, Father Jomoad, Provincial Administrator Tahira Ismael, PARO Suwaib Ismail, Lt. Col. Mongao of the 104th Brigade of the Philippine Army and other personalities, representatives from CSOs, NGOs and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
In his welcome message read by the Provincial Administrator Tahira Ismael, Gov. Jum Akbar says, “I welcome you all, guests and participants at “bilang ina ng provinsya kung usapang kapayapaan lagi ako nandoroon”. (As a mother of the province if we talk about peace I am always be there”).
In another message by Tahira Ismail, she said, “Nagugulat ako kung bakit nagkalat ang balita sa buong lalawigan na kaming mga nasa hanay ng LGUs ay ayaw daw sa BBL at boboto ng ‘NO’ sa darating na plebisito. Paano kami aayaw hindi naman kami nakapagsabi nyan at hindi rin kmi na imbita sa mga consultasyon ng mga kababaihan at hindi namin alam ang nilalaman ng BBL, kung NO ang Isabela ay hindi ibig sabihin lahat ng mamayan ng Basilan ay umaayaw din.” (I am surprised of the news spread around that we in the local government units are opposed to the BBL and will vote NO during the plebiscite”. “How can we say NO when we were not the one who said that and we were not invited during the consultations with the women; and we do not know the contents of BBL?” “If Isabela will vote, it doesn’t mean that the residents of Basilan are also opposed to it”.) She further said.
“There were eight (8) series of consultations done by the women sector, and roughly 400 hundred women attended and all knew about the BBL, while never that we were invited, she clarified.
Commissioner Al Camlian preferred to call it a dialogue instead of consultation. He spoke partly on the salient features of BBL and his time was mostly allotted for an open forum. One question asked was about the term ‘Bangsamoro’ which cannot be found in the Philippine Constitution. Comm. Al Camlian answered it on the basis of historical perspective that can be found at the Library of Congress of America the so-called “Zamboanga Declaration of Intent of Purposes of 1924”.
In the said declaration, the Moros that converged in Zamboanga City were protesting against the inclusion of the Moro Territory to the grant of independence to the Philippines saying that Bangsamoro shall instead be a separate Moro independent state or a protectorate of America. Another option demanded by the Moros was that, after 50 years a referendum shall be held whether the Moro territory shall remain a US protectorate colony or be an independent state. Thus the term Bangsamoro that refers to the native inhabitants of Mindanao already existed since 16th century.
Commissioner Peter Eisma supplicated the term Bangsamoro saying that, “It is not an Islamic State as most of the Christians think rather it is inclusive because there are reserve seats for the settlers, IPs and other sectors in the Bangsamoro Parliament”. He further said that the term “Asymmetric as mentioned in the Framework Agreement on the Bangamoro (FAB) is neither political nor legal terminology but a mathematical ones, which means not the same in shapes and it connotes special case to Bangsamoro government”.
Isabela City councilor Nida Dans, who attended as representative of Mindanao Commission on Women clarified the ‘NO’ inclusion of Isabela City into the Bangsamoro Region, saying “That there was a petition made by Mayor Cherrylyn Santos but the council denied it as they have not seen yet the BBL”. It was her personal act and does not represent the will of the residents of Isabela City”, Dans said.
Jubaira Said, former Provincial board member and former city councilor of Lamitan suggested to the BTC the conduct of series of consultations on the BBL in Lamitan and Isabela so that people thereat shall be enlightened, instead of being scared of the BBL”.
The activity started at 8:30 AM and ended at 4PM.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/991-mcsopp-conducts-another-consultation-on-bbl-in-isabela-city
The participants were the provincial governor, mayors, councilors and heads of government line agencies. Most of the mayors were not present but they sent their representatives on their behalf. Commissioner Peter Eisma and Commissioner Al Camlian were the invited resource persons.
Those that attended were Vice Governor Sakkalahul, Provincial Board Member Candu I. Muarip, former Provincial Board Member Jubaira Said, Isabela City Councilor Nida Dans, Noel Baul of Lamitan City, Father Jomoad, Provincial Administrator Tahira Ismael, PARO Suwaib Ismail, Lt. Col. Mongao of the 104th Brigade of the Philippine Army and other personalities, representatives from CSOs, NGOs and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
In his welcome message read by the Provincial Administrator Tahira Ismael, Gov. Jum Akbar says, “I welcome you all, guests and participants at “bilang ina ng provinsya kung usapang kapayapaan lagi ako nandoroon”. (As a mother of the province if we talk about peace I am always be there”).
In another message by Tahira Ismail, she said, “Nagugulat ako kung bakit nagkalat ang balita sa buong lalawigan na kaming mga nasa hanay ng LGUs ay ayaw daw sa BBL at boboto ng ‘NO’ sa darating na plebisito. Paano kami aayaw hindi naman kami nakapagsabi nyan at hindi rin kmi na imbita sa mga consultasyon ng mga kababaihan at hindi namin alam ang nilalaman ng BBL, kung NO ang Isabela ay hindi ibig sabihin lahat ng mamayan ng Basilan ay umaayaw din.” (I am surprised of the news spread around that we in the local government units are opposed to the BBL and will vote NO during the plebiscite”. “How can we say NO when we were not the one who said that and we were not invited during the consultations with the women; and we do not know the contents of BBL?” “If Isabela will vote, it doesn’t mean that the residents of Basilan are also opposed to it”.) She further said.
“There were eight (8) series of consultations done by the women sector, and roughly 400 hundred women attended and all knew about the BBL, while never that we were invited, she clarified.
Commissioner Al Camlian preferred to call it a dialogue instead of consultation. He spoke partly on the salient features of BBL and his time was mostly allotted for an open forum. One question asked was about the term ‘Bangsamoro’ which cannot be found in the Philippine Constitution. Comm. Al Camlian answered it on the basis of historical perspective that can be found at the Library of Congress of America the so-called “Zamboanga Declaration of Intent of Purposes of 1924”.
In the said declaration, the Moros that converged in Zamboanga City were protesting against the inclusion of the Moro Territory to the grant of independence to the Philippines saying that Bangsamoro shall instead be a separate Moro independent state or a protectorate of America. Another option demanded by the Moros was that, after 50 years a referendum shall be held whether the Moro territory shall remain a US protectorate colony or be an independent state. Thus the term Bangsamoro that refers to the native inhabitants of Mindanao already existed since 16th century.
Commissioner Peter Eisma supplicated the term Bangsamoro saying that, “It is not an Islamic State as most of the Christians think rather it is inclusive because there are reserve seats for the settlers, IPs and other sectors in the Bangsamoro Parliament”. He further said that the term “Asymmetric as mentioned in the Framework Agreement on the Bangamoro (FAB) is neither political nor legal terminology but a mathematical ones, which means not the same in shapes and it connotes special case to Bangsamoro government”.
Isabela City councilor Nida Dans, who attended as representative of Mindanao Commission on Women clarified the ‘NO’ inclusion of Isabela City into the Bangsamoro Region, saying “That there was a petition made by Mayor Cherrylyn Santos but the council denied it as they have not seen yet the BBL”. It was her personal act and does not represent the will of the residents of Isabela City”, Dans said.
Jubaira Said, former Provincial board member and former city councilor of Lamitan suggested to the BTC the conduct of series of consultations on the BBL in Lamitan and Isabela so that people thereat shall be enlightened, instead of being scared of the BBL”.
The activity started at 8:30 AM and ended at 4PM.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/991-mcsopp-conducts-another-consultation-on-bbl-in-isabela-city
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