The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) needs to comply
with the three demands or conditions of the majority of lawmakers who are
members of the House Ad Hoc committee to convince them that the Muslim rebels
are sincere to pursue peace.
The panel chairman and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus
Rodriguez said on Tuesday that “it is all or nothing” that legislators may
decide to support again Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
The demands made by lawmakers were to return the stolen
firearms of Special Action Force (SAF) and their personal belongings; get and
surrender Basit Usman at all cost and the third is the surrendering of MILF
fighters who will be identified by the Department of Justice who were
responsible and killed mercilessly dying SAF members on January 25, 2015 in
Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
“I have relayed this information to MILF Vice Chairman Al
Haj Murad and Peace Negotiator Mohagher Iqbal when we met in Jakarta , Indonesia
He said the move is confidence building measure and regain
the lost respect of lawmakers who admitted that they were dismayed to the
actions made by MILF on the ground against the 44 members of SAF.
In the same press conference, Rodriguez said they take their
cue to the reports of the Board of Inquiry and the DOJ who vowed to finish
their investigation before the end of February.
“We might resume the hearing by March 3 or 4 not to vote for
the measure but to study and go line by line in the investigation reports,”
Rodriguez explained.
He admitted that if they will ask for a vote, he is afraid
that he cannot get the needed support for the measure.
“All 75 members of the committee will decide on the fate of
the BBL and to date, majority of them have relayed information that they are
not inclined to support the measure,” the chairman stressed claiming that those
who informed him are members of political or geographic blocs.
But once the MILF complied with the three conditions,
Rodriguez assured that those who have second thoughts will go back to support
BBL.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez said that President Benigno Aquino III
when they were invited in Malacanang did not give any timeline when to pass
BBL.
“The president was very candid that he wanted to pass the
measure during his term and I am the one who gave the timeline that before we
adjourn sine die, the measure is expected in the plenary,” he told House
reporters.
The veteran lawmaker said they will try their best to toss
BBL to the plenary on May hoping that they can finish it by June before sine
die of the second regular session of 16th Congress.
However, he stressed that if MILF will not comply with the
three conditions, the measure might not reach plenary because they will not get
the needed support from its members.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=738545
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