The Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) should not be viewed as a perfect law that will solve all problems besetting the proposed political entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the heads of the peace panels of both the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said in a forum here Thursday.
Speaking during the media roundtable discussion on the BBL,
Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the MLF peace panel cited that while the bill is a
product of 17 years of negotiations, it is only one element that will help
achieve lasting peace in Mindanao .
Iqbal stressed, for instance, that it requires good
governance and leadership and good implementation of the law to make groups
like the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Abu Sayyaf irrelevant.
Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chair of the government peace panel
said it would be unfair to pin all hopes on the BBL since there are other
factors to consider, for example, how to deal with the splintered Moro National
Liberation Front.
Ferrer added that while the process of legislating the BBL
may appear slow it is much faster than the passage of the Reproductive Health
Act and the Freedom of Information Bill, among others.
She commended both the House of Representatives and the
Senate for having held several consultations on the BBL.
Iqbal, who also chairs the Bangsamoro Transition Commission
(BTC), said they are hoping for a “resounding endorsement” of the BBL, citing
their “trust in the collective wisdom to pass the BBL.”
“Let us not waste the opportunity to establish peace in Mindanao ,” he said as he appealed to media to push
Congress to do its job. He added that media, for sure, is interested in
stories other than war.
Both panels are expecting Congress to pass the BBL within
the quarter to achieve the timetable of having the Bangsamoro government set up
by 2016.
On unity in the Bangsamoro, Ferrer said that would be the
task of the regional government.
For his part, Iqbal said they “hope for the best” in
reaching out to their constituents.
Ferrer said the feats achieved by the peace process in 2014
reflected the trust and confidence that was built, reciprocated and sustained
through the years of negotiations.
“We want that trust and confidence should be stronger as we
move along…and ensure that all the elements of the comprehensive agreement will
be put in place,” she added, citing that such trust and confidence showed in
the statements and actions of both panels in different aspects of the
agreement.
Ferrer admitted however that based on the results of
committee hearings conducted by Congress there is a need to fine-tune the BBL
to ensure that it would pass judicial scrutiny.
She said both Houses of Congress have scheduled committee
hearings and meetings with governors in affected areas within the month.
Among the issues raised in the roundtable discussion was the
need to prolong the transition period. Lawyer Jesus Dureza, president of the
Philippine Press Institute and formed chair of the government peace panel, said
it should provide enough time for the MILF to “mature politically”.
The MILF last month organized the United Bangsamoro Justice
Party in preparation for the first elections for the autonomous government.
Decommissioning
Ferrer noted that the MILF decommissioning process has been
hampered by the lack of guidelines.
Iqbal said the decommissioning process would follow the
Irish Republican Army model, that is, MILF weapons will not be surrendered but
merely deposited to a third party. He added the pace of the process will depend
on the progress of implementation of political reforms and other terms of the
peace agreement.
Lawyer Benedicto Bacani of the Institute of Autonomy
and Governance said the process of pushing political and legal reforms is slow
and must be viewed within the larger picture.
He said it must be put alongside the goals of attaining
respect for identity, addressing instability, and the Bangsamoro’s right to
self-determination.
“We need to have faith and support the peace process and
continue to push for reforms,” said Bacani, who is a member of the Panel of
Independent Lawyers supporting the BTC.
Datu Al Abdulla Camlian, a BTC member and a military leader
of the MILF, appealed for support to a good BBL that would prevent a resurgence
of conflict.
Camlian said the MILF’s decision to enter into a peace
agreement with government showed their interest to settle for autonomy not
independence.
“We are not seeking independence. We remain citizens of the Philippines ,”
he added.
After the passage of the BBL it will be ratified in a
plebiscite in the proposed Bangsamoro region. The outcome of the plebiscite
will determine the geographical scope of the Bangsamoro.
After ratification of the BBL, the ARMM is deemed abolished
and the BTC will be replaced by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority which will
serve as the interim government in the run-up to the first regional election in
2016.
The forum was organized by MindaNews in partnership with the
Embassy of Canada, BTC, Conciliation Resources, European Union and Philippine
Information Agency.
MindaNews held a similar activity in September 2014 at the
Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon
City .
Another roundtable discussion on the BBL with journalists
will take place in Cagayan de Oro City next month.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/01/09/bbl-not-a-perfect-law-peace-in-bangsamoro-need-good-governance/
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