The government peace panel in talks with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) has appealed to Filipinos to stay the course of peace
as the deadline for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the Senate and
the House of Representatives was pushed anew to December 16.
“It’s disappointing, but we still hope (it will soon become
a law),” said Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chair of the government peace panel.
Ferrer was speaking at ‘Women and Peace: Reflecting on
Achievements and Challenges on Women’s Participation in Celebration of the 15th
Anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 last September 24. The event
was also attended by Froilyn Mendoza of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission,
Jurma Tikmasan of the Tarbilang Foundation, Jasmin Nario-Galace of WE Act 1325,
and Kristian Herbolzheimer, member of the International Contact Group and
Director of the Philippines
“Our message is stay on track, stay the course, [have]
patience and perseverance,” Ferrer said, but added that the public must speak
up for peace to ensure that the process will be successful.
“There are many ways and means that we can still see this
through,” Ferrer assured. “But we need to get our voices heard. We need that
push coming from everyone.”
The House of Representatives through House Speaker Feliciano
Belmonte Jr. earlier announced that the BBL would be put to a vote and can be
passed on third and final reading by end of September, before Congress adjourns
on October 9.
However, last week both the Senate and the House announced
the new December 16 deadline for the passage of the proposed measure, citing
the need to prioritize the 2016 General Appropriations Act.
Despite this, the government peace panel is not giving up,
noting that there is still enough time and that adjustments may be made in the
proposed measure to mitigate the possible adverse effects that delays in
passage would cause in terms of the transition from the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao to the envisioned Bangsamoro region.
“We should not give up,” Ferrer said. “We have to just keep
on pushing.”
“There’s still time and there are many flexibilities. We can
adjust, say, the transitory provisions in the draft law. There can be room for
adjustments there, [for instance in] how exactly the transition will play out
given the delay in the passage of the law,” Ferrer pointed out.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=809261
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