Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao has appealed to the country’s lawmakers to restore salient
provisions of the original Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) while Moro rebel chief
negotiator Mohaqher Iqbal was uncertain on the fate of the draft law.
However, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders
are convinced the BBL is still alive and remained hopeful.
Hataman issued the appeal as the Senate and House of
Representatives resume deliberations on the draft law which, he said, was
substituted by entirely different versions.
“We are concerned over raised apprehensions that the
substitute version no longer stand for the aspirations of the Moro people for a
genuine self-rule,” Hataman said in a statement.
Hataman has been hoping the Senate and the House this week
to observe separate deliberations of the two chambers.
Senator Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr has filed his
substitute bill known as Senate Bill No. 2894 while in the House, members are
deliberating on HB No. 5811, authored by Cagayan Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.
At the Senate, debates resumed on Monday followed by a
period of amendments while at the House of Representatives, plenary discussions
happened only once due to quorum issues.
Mohaqher Iqbal, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief
negotiator and chair of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) that drafted
the BBL, admitted he was in a dilemma over the fate of the draft law.
“The government is telling us they are working on the BBL
but as of now it remained uncertain,” Iqbal said of the draft bill during a
speech at the turn-over of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
donated school building in Kibleg, Upi, Maguindanao.
“Sabi ng government sigurado na, pero parang di pa sure (The
government is telling us it is certain the bill will be passed as scheduled but
for me it is still uncertain),” Iqbal said.
Hataman believed the Senate and the House versions were
diluted and said, “a diluted BBL will only worsen the lives of Moro people in Mindanao .”
“(I appeal to) our lawmakers to pass a BBL that will result
in the creation of a political entity that is way better than ARMM,” Hataman
said.
“Anything lesser than ARMM will not solve the problem of Mindanao and the Moro people,” he said.
While many claimed the BBL is dead, the MILF, in its website
editorial, believed otherwise.
“The BBL is not yet dead on track. There is still chance for
it to pass Congress. President Benigno Aquino III will deliver; we still
believe in this. We also trust the collective wisdom of Congress to pass the
proposed law, a good BBL,” the editorial said.
“On many occasions, the MILF has been in a situation fraught
with dangers. But it never gave up; it never said die. No one knows exactly
what is in the offing. Only God does,” it added.
The MILF said one leader of another Moro revolutionary
group, apparently referring to the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), told
them the BBL was a hopeless case to pursue.
“What they did to us, they will do it to you,” the editorial
quoted the Moro rebel official as saying.
Patience prevailed upon the MILF as it said “the MILF has
listened to all these pushing or bashing. While they are not taken as veritable
truth, they are not passed on to the other ear either.”
“The day of reckoning is not far away. We will know who is
correct and who is wrong. Let us wait for that,” the editorial said.
The editorial said the MILF asked itself: “If the MILF is to
disengage right now, what are the implications and alternatives? Who will be on
the bad side of history? Truth is that many a person criticizes an idea or
decision, but he or she has nothing to offer. Often their decision is caused by
emotions and not a well-thought-out idea.”
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=797516
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