Three Bangsamoro Royal Sultanates unite for passage of BBL

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 13): Three Bangsamoro Royal Sultanates unite for passage of BBL

For the first time in years since the Moros’ struggle for right to self-determination, three Bangsamoro Royal Sultanates in Mindanao stand united and voiced their all-out support for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Led by the Sultans and Datus from the Royal Houses of Buayan, Kabuntalan and Taviran from different provinces in Mindanao, over 300 participants gathered Sunday for the Bangsamoro Royal Houses Solidarity Conference at the Waterfront Insular Hotel to present their position papers and statement of support to Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Central Committee first vice chair Ghazali Jaafar.

Jaafar welcomed the support of the Sultanates as their voices will help in the passage of the BBL. He added that if the BBL will not be passed, the voice of the Sultanates will be known in the world.

Even as the leaders urged for the passage of BBL, sultanate leader, Prime Sultan of Maguindanao Abdulaziz Salem tore the declaration of support in front of other sultanate leaders and Jaafar during the signing of the declaration of support as the concluding highlight of the conference.

Salem, who was asked to sign the document, scrutinized the document before signing it. But he stood up and speaking in a Moro dialect, tore each page of the document to the surprise of the people around. Salem was pointing to one provision. It was not however known what provision that he was opposing.

In a press conference, Datu Noldin Oyod, Datu sa Taviran IV, said their decision to back the passage of the BBL was a result of the plenary they held last week to discuss how to attain solidarity towards a just and dignified peace. Oyod stressed that their decision strengthens the Bangsamoro unity.

In another statement of support signed by Amil Kusain Camsa and Pinandatu Uko Mluk pushed the enactment of the BBL. It details the desire of the Bangsamoro and the failure of addressing their endless oppression. Camsa is the prime sultan of the Sultanate of Buayan Darussalam while Mluk is the Sultan of the Sultanate of Kabuntalan Darussalam.

In their statement of support, they expected BBL will give substance to their Constitutional rights citing that so much lives and properties have been lost since the 1970’s.

According to the statement, a Bangsamoro government is nothing to be feared of because the delegated functions can be recalled any time by the central government in case of abuse or mismanagement with the full sanction of the law.

It also mentioned the Mamasapano incident has nothing to do with the Mindanao conflict “which is a political crime as to validly impute or implicate the peace settlement. According to them, the Mamasapano incident is a trivial matter to derail the passage of the BBL.

“The Bangsamoro merely demands the immediate passage of the Bill to start a new life. The real and historic grievances of the Bangsamoro people were not properly addressed, if not deliberately avoided, in the previous autonomous governments established by the GRP for Muslim Mindanao,” the statement said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=752482