Congress suspends meetings on the Bangsamoro Basic Law, lawmakers call for a probe and 2 senators withdraw their authorship of the proposed law
BODY BAGS. Members of the Special Action Force carry bodies of their comrades killed in Maguindanao on Sunday, January 25. Photo by Althea Ballentes/EPA
The deadly
clash between special police forces and Muslim rebels on Sunday, January 25, in
Maguindanao prompted lawmakers and public officials to cast doubts
on the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), triggering
discussions on whether Congress should continue deliberating the Bangsamoro
Basic Law.
But others
maintained Congress should not give up on the process. They argued that
long-term solutions towards lasting peace should not be derailed by a single
incident.
A day after the
clash that killed at least 43 Special Action Force (SAF) troops, Senator
Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, head of the main Senate committee
tackling the bill, cancelled
all scheduled consultations in Mindanao. Hearings in Manila
The House ad hoc
committee on the Bangsamoro suspended their afternoon session on Monday,
January 26. The House committee is holding executive meetings on the proposed
law until the first week of February.
Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao Governor Mujiv Hataman called for calm and cautioned
stakeholders against knee-jerk reactions.
"Our direct
communication with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) played a key role.
Personally, I'm appealing to everyone to not ride on the issue and make ongoing
peace talks turn sour, " Hataman said.
The government
described the incident as a "misencounter." The MILF said SAF failed
to coordinate their operations before entering an MILF area to arrest wanted
terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir, better known as "Marwan," and Basit
Usma. (READ: Dead or alive? Top terrorist was cops' target)
Varied
reactions
Lawmakers are
tasked to pass the proposed law that aims to install a new autonomous region in
Mindanao
What are they
saying about the clash in relation to the peace process?
Marcos said he is
awaiting feedback from the government and the MILF before deciding on how to
proceed with hearings.
His counterpart
in the House, Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez is more
categorical. He said the House will continue to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law
despite the incident.
"This is the
product of 17 years of negotiations, and this cannot be stopped by this occurrence.
We continue to have an executive session starting today up to February 4, and
hopefully we approve the draft committee report on February 9. On the 16th
of February we will be able to send it to the plenary so that by march it will
be with the Senate and with the President," Rodriguez said.
Authors raise
doubts on BBL passage
Some lawmakers
said they find it difficult to reconcile the carnage that happened in
Maguindanao to the peace process between the government and the MILF, which –
under the current proposal – will lead the transition government towards the
Bangsamoro.
After attending
the hearing on the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Basic Law under the
committee of Senator Miriam Santiago Monday, Senator Pia Cayetano, one of the
authors of the bill, posted the following tweets:
Her
brother, Senator Alan Cayetano, asked the same questions and did more: he
withdrew his authorship of the proposed Bangsamoro law.
He said he is
"disgusted" with what happened and doubts whether the law will be passed.
"The basis
of a peace agreement is to have a framework to ensure the rule of law. But if
you're going to say that they did not coordinate with us, what if it happens to
them? What if MILF fighters enter an area and there is an encounter and they
are killed? Can we say that you did not coordinate with us?" Cayetano
said.
Senator JV
Ejercito later withdrew his co-authorship of the bill as well.
Crucial votes
The support of
all 13 authors of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the Senate is crucial. With Cayetano's
decision to withdraw his authorship, the proponents of the law are no longer
assured of a majority vote – 13 votes already comprise majority of the 24
members of the Senate.
Senate President
Franklin Drilon, however, said the "unfortunate incident and and the
deaths of our policemen, condemnable as it is" should not stand in the way
of peace efforts.
"I therefore
call on authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation and get to the
bottom of this tragedy that killed 50 of our policemen. Our nation deserves an
explanation as to why dozens of our brave policemen doing their duties had to
die in such a manner," Drilon said.
Calls for probe
At least two
separate resolutions in the House and the Senate were filed a day after the
Maguindanao clash that killed at least 49 special police forces and 5 MILF
members.
The so-called Saturday Group, composed of former military
officials such as Representatives Romeo Acop, Leopoldo Bataoil, Samuel
Pagdilao, Gary Alejano and Francisco Ashley Acedillo, said the House of
Representatives should suspend deliberations pending the result of an
investigation by a "multi-agency govenrment panel."
Bayan Muna
Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate likewise condemned the incident and called
for a probe.
Meanwhile,
Senator Grace Poe wants to know why special police forces were sent to
Mamasapano in the first place. (READ: PNP probes Maguindanao 'misencounter')
What's the mood
among lawmakers?
Ifugao
Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat Jr, who said his cousin was one of the
police officers killed in the clashes, sums it up:
The government
and the MILF signed a peace agreement in March 2014 that is now the basis of
the proposed law pending in Congress.
Since signing a
ceasefire agreement in the late 1990s, there have been complaints from both
sides on possible breaches but the Mamasapano incident is the worst breakdown
of the ceasefire.
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