The leader of a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) has cautioned the government against disregarding the previous peace agreements signed by Moro groups with the Philippine government in its desire to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
Muslimin Sema, chair of one of four MNLF factions, appealed to lawmakers on Tuesday to “strike a balance between the crafting a good law … and preserv[ing] the gains of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and 1996 Final Peace Agreement.”
“Make the whole peace process work equally for the MNLF and MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) by integrating the gains we achieved from the agreements we have with the government of the Philippines,” Sema said at the hearing of the House ad hoc panel on the BBL.
In contrast to the fervent support expressed by the Alonto faction for the Bangsamoro bill, Sema had no categorical statement on the measure.
He noted, however, that the proposed BBL’s current form “is a recipe for the disintegration” of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
“The way the BBL is written, we are bound to lose what we have gained in the last four decades of our people’s struggle,” Sema said.
Amendment, not repeal
In keeping with the gains of the 1976 and 1996 peace agreements, Sema said the Organic Act that created the ARMM should only be amended instead of being repealed by the BBL.
He added that the government should also no longer hold a plebiscite to determine the scope of the envisioned Bangsamoro political entity because the ARMM is already part of the Bangsamoro homeland of 13 provinces and nine cities stipulated in the Tripoli Agreement of 1976.
“The people in the ARMM have already signified their affirmation of their autonomy in two occasions,” Sema said.
Cognizant of Sema’s concerns, Sulu Rep. Tupay Loong, a former MNLF commander, said Congress must look into the abolition of the ARMM following the passage of the BBL.
“The word 'abolishing' must be looked into. If you abolish ARMM, it's tantamount to rejecting the gains of 1976 & 1996 peace accords,” he said.
The 1976 Tripoli Agreement, signed by the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos and the MNLF led by Nur Misuari, sought to establish autonomy in 13 provinces in the southern and western Philippines: Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, North Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato, and Palawan.
Final public hearings
However, a 1977 plebiscite resulted in the retention of the political subdivisions of Western and Central Mindanao that Marcos had earlier created.
ARMM was officially created in 1989 with the passage of the Organic Act or RA 6734. At present, it is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.
In 1996, the administration of President Fidel Ramos signed the final peace agreement with the MNLF on the “full implementation of the Tripoli Agreement of 1976."
The ad hoc House panel tackling the BBL is set to wrap up public hearings on the measure on Tuesday. The committee will conduct executive sessions to review provisions of the bill and the results of public consultations before approving the committee report on Feb. 9.
Committee chair Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez targets the Bangsamoro bill's approval on third reading in the House of Representatives by the end of February.
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