BBL as good as delayed; Muslim solons push peace

From the Manila Bulletin (Feb 6): BBL as good as delayed; Muslim solons push peace

House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte, Jr. may not spell it out, but the “big elephant” in Congress right now is the impending delay in the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The proposed law that aims to give greater autonomy for the Bangsamoro people was dealt a major setback in the form of the January 25 Mamasapano,

Maguindanao incident, as the deliberations of the House Ad Hoc Committee moving forward would be heavily dependent on several requested reports and documents related to the bloody clash.

PNP OIC Espina talks at Camp Crame following a command conference of Regional Directors of the Philippines. Espina said theres no need for Loyalty check to the Philippine Police reagarding Mamasapano incident. (photo by Michael Varcas)

“Yes certainly,” Ad Hoc panel chair, 2nd District Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said when asked earlier this week if he believes that the BBL’s passage would be delayed.

Yesterday, Muslim lawmakers threw a collective voice into the bloody Mamasapano encounter and appealed “to all concerned” not to use the incident to block the approval of the BBL.

MUSLIM SOLONS’ APPEAL

“We appeal to all concerned not to use the incident as a deterrent in our quest for peace, development and prosperity through the approval and ratification of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law, a measure dubbed as an instrument of peace,” nine of 12 congressmen representing Muslim-prevalent congressional districts stated in a joint statement.

Sulu Rep. Tupay Loong, chairman of the Committee on Muslim Affairs, said his fellow Muslim lawmakers found the need to issue the joint statement to clarify to everybody their stand on the incident that resulted in the death of 44 members of the elite Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF).

Sajid Mangudadatu (LP, Maguindanao); Ruby Sahali (NP, Tawi-tawi); and Sitti Djalia A. Turabin-Hataman (Amin Partylist).

The nine lawmakers appealed for “sobriety” among Filipinos as they try to understand the facts and circumstances that led to the incident.

“We sympathize with all the families whose loved ones lost their lives in the incident. We grieve over the loss of lives on both sides who fought for the same cause, that the right to live in peace be for all,” the statement said.

The congressmen said the incident was “highly unfortunate” as it took place while both the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are one in seeking an end to the long drawn war in Mindanao.

As “representatives of different Muslim political constituencies,” the group also reiterated its commitment to support President Aquino in the search for peace in Mindanao.

4 CRITICAL PROVISIONS

“The original timetable will now be subject to the reports of these agencies, and subject to the normalization (agreement) coming in, and subject to the deferment of these four important provisions of the BBL,” Rodriguez said.

These four contentious provisions of the BBL — on National Security (which involves the armed forces); Public Order and Safety (police force); Operational Control; and Normalization — have become more crucial for solons now after the brutal death of 44 Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) commandos at the hands of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Maguindanao.

The secessionist group is the Philippine government’s partner in the peace process in the Muslim south, and the BBL is the tangible representation of this partnership.

Even worse, is the timing of the Mamasapano clash: It took place a day before the 75-member Ad Hoc Committee’s executive sessions wherein it began the process of finalizing the proposed law, line-by-line. The closed-door executive sessions were supposed to have been concluded Wednesday, February 4.

The panel’s self-imposed deadline involves having the BBL passed on 2nd and 3rd reading this month, and to have it signed by President Aquino by the end of March.

Waiting for the reports

But the Ad Hoc Committee has expressed its intention to wait for the PNP’s in-depth report on the SAF mission, which according to PNP officer-in-charge, Deputy Director-General Leonard Espina, would be submitted to the panel on February 9.

“We might need to suspend [the deliberations] to call the persons who made the report for clarification,” Rodriguez earlier said.

An Ad Hoc panel member, Muntinlupa City Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, said the lawmakers should be given enough time to scrutinize the various agency reports once they get hold of them.

“They should give us sufficient time to study it and conduct a hearing with the chiefs of offices that would be able to answer questions as we examine the documents,” said the former senator and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief.

Speaker Belmonte has proposed that both Houses of Congress hold a joint hearing or inquiry into the Mamasapano issue, saying it would be the practical and efficient thing to do.

http://www.mb.com.ph/bbl-as-good-as-delayed-muslim-solons-push-peace/