Philippines: Bangsamoro pact will fulfill genuine autonomy

From the Mindanao Examiner BlogSpot site (May 7): Philippines: Bangsamoro pact will fulfill genuine autonomy

Government chief negotiator Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said that the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) aims to realize the aspirations of our people for peace and autonomy as enshrined in the Constitution, and it is up to Congress to bring the agreement to life by passing the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Coronel-Ferrer, in her keynote speech to hundreds of graduates of the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy on April 26, said that the CAB “gave flesh to all the noble aspirations and struggles of our peoples that have been codified in our Constitution.”

Among these is the creation of an autonomous region in the Philippine south, which enjoys more powers compared to other local government units (LGUs) in recognition of its distinct characteristics. “The Constitution provides the list of such powers and the process that would put in place the autonomous region,” she said.

According to the CAB, the Bangsamoro shall replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) after the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the prospective areas of coverage of the new entity. The Parties agreed that the Bangsamoro will adopt a parliamentary system.

Coronel-Ferrer said that the Constitution states that “the structure of government in the autonomous regions shall be provided by law,” and as such it did not contemplate an exact replica of the structure in other LGUs.

“To attain peace, the Constitution mandated that the country renounce war as an instrument of national policy and adhere to the policy of peace. In the President’s capacity as commander-in-chief and chief executive responsible for the peace, order and well-being of the country and its citizens, the President appointed us, the negotiating panel, to pursue peace in Mindanao,” explained Coronel-Ferrer as to the basis for pursuing the political settlement on the Bangsamoro.

She pointed out that the goal of the GPH-MILF peace negotiations has been to preserve the unity of the country. “Hinding-hindi naging agenda ng negosasyon ang independence. (Independence was never an agenda in the negotiations.)”

Coronel-Ferrer shared that the CAB signed with the MILF on March 27, after 17 years of peace negotiations and decades-old history of struggle, brings hope for peace in Mindanao.

“Marami ang umaasa na sa pagkakaroon ng CAB, mangyayari na ang hinahangad na kapayapaan at kaunlaran sa mga lugar ng Mindanao kung saan matatagpuan ang mayorya ng ating mga kababayang Muslim at Moro, at siya ring nabibilang sa mga pinakamahihirap na mga probinsya sa ating bayan. (With the achievement of the CAB, many people are hopeful that peace and development are at hand in places in Mindanao where you can find majority of our fellow Muslims and Moros, and places that are among the poorest in the country.),” she said.

In another keynote speech at the graduation ceremony of the College of Social Work and Community Development on April 27, she recounted that almost a million people were displaced in 2000 while 500,000-600,000 residents of Central Mindanao were forced to stay in evacuation centers in 2003 and 2008, when the ceasefire between the government and the MILF broke down.

A study found that in the 2003 displacement, most of the evacuees were women and Muslims. This reflects a gender dimension to conflict and partly explains the alienation of the Muslim population from the government, she said. "But today, the ceasefire is firmly in place."

"Unlike typhoons, the tsunami and storm surge, people choose to make war," Coronel-Ferrer said. "We can also choose peace."

Coronel-Ferrer, in both keynote speeches, urged UP graduates to support and contribute to the work of achieving peace in the country. “Ang kapayapaan ng ating bansa, ang kaginhawaan ng ating bayan, ang katahimikan sa ating mundo ay nasa kamay natin." (Peace in our country, the well being of our nation, peace in our world are in our hands.)

http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/05/philippines-bangsamoro-pact-to-fulfill.html