Wednesday, June 10, 2015

MILF: MILF appeal to Congress: Stay faithful to the original BBL

Posted to the MILF Website (Jun 9): MILF appeal to Congress: Stay faithful to the original BBL

MILF appeal to Congress: Stay faithful to the original BBL

A member of the MILF Central Committee has appealed to members of Congress to stay faithful to the letter and spirit of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) as embodied in the original Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which was crafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) and submitted to President Benigno Aquino III on September 7, 2014.

Sheikh Mohammad Muntassir, a senior member of the MILF Central Committee, told Luwaran that dilution or watering down of the BBL will not be accepted by the MILF, citing two major reasons: 1) It will not solve the armed conflict in Mindanao and instead invite more and more adverse consequences; and 2) the MILF will become the laughing stock for accepting a so-called autonomy lesser than what is in the Autonomous Region in Mindanao.

Asked what particular provision in the BBL that can easily turn-off the MILF from accepting it, he cited the provision of the FAB and CAB where the natural resources are classified as: non-metallic, metallic, and fossil fuels, but in the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the BBL it classified practically everything as “strategic minerals” including potential sources of energy (sun, water, wind).

“This is unacceptable,” referring to the provision, and added that this alone can force the MILF not to accept the BBL.

He explained that aside from directly violating the FAB and CAB, it renders the Bangsamoro entity not really autonomous.

“It is a pity that many people hate the Moros but are moving heaven and earth to deny us access to those God-given wealth beneath our lands.”

He disclosed that the most powerful lobby in Congress comes from the energy and mining sectors and followed by those so-called protectors of the interests of indigenous peoples (IPs) in Mindanao and the Cordillera.

“Who systematically grabbed the landholdings of the IPs?” he asked, without elaborating.
He also lamented that the principle of the “parity of esteem” was stricken out of the Committee report, which is very important in a principled and problem-solving negotiation.

He explained that parity of esteem is deeper than the principle of the equality of peoples which is more physical. Parity of esteem is not only about respect for competences, say of the central government and of the Bangsamoro, as provided in the BBL but is a phrase used in political philosophy to explain a theory to overcome inter-communal conflict. Promoters of the theory argue that parity of esteem offers a language for negotiation of a post-conflict equilibrium. This negotiation begins with the communities recognising the stalemate of their position. Rather than continue trying to out-do each other, the communities should attempt to negotiate a peaceful coexistence in a shared physical space despite their cultural differences.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/406-milf-appeal-to-congress-stay-faithful-to-the-original-bbl

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.