Prominent business organizations in the country recently issued a statement supporting the swift passage of an acceptable and meaningful Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
They stated their cognizance of the imperative "to ensure lasting peace in Mindanao, allow Muslim Filipinos to exercise their right to genuine autonomy and catch up with the socio-economic development in the rest of the country, and harness the potentials of the Bangsamoro region to be an indispensable part of the country's economic engine, affirm our unwavering support for the swift passage of an acceptable and meaningful BBL."
The business groups stressed, "With the timetable tightening and with the Bill still in the period of interpellations in Congress, we respectfully call on our congressmen and senators to act with urgency to not only quickly enact the BBL, but also to pass a version that is consistent with the Constitution, adheres to the commitments contained in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and truly embodies the dreams and aspirations of Muslim Filipinos."
"The BBL must not diminish what was already given to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)," they said and that "The Expanded ARMM Organic Act should form the baseline from where an acceptable and meaningful BBL is to be crafted."
Some important provisions of the original draft of the measure submitted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) were deleted during the deliberation in the two Houses of Congress.
The businessmen noted that the poorest and least developed provinces are found in the Bangsamoro, thus "the grant of full fiscal autonomy is essential and that the region must have power over inland water and "strategic mineral" within its jurisdiction."
They said, "We believe that there is no other viable path to winning the peace in Mindanao's conflicted areas but the completion of the peace process, and it cannot and will not move forward if the BBL remains stalled in Congress. Never before has the peace process progressed to a stage where we are at the brink of ending decades of armed conflict, which has displaced and killed thousands of persons, mostly civilians."
The business organizations reiterate their "support for the completion of the peace process and vowed to accompany the government towards its fulfillment every step of the way."
"Let the achievement of peace in Mindanao be our enduring legacy for the succeeding generations of Filipinos," they said.
The deliberation of BBL in both Chambers of Congress have been stalled due to lack of quorum. Stakeholders have been calling the legislators to work on the passage of the BBL consistent with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, a peace accord signed by the government and the MILF in 2014.
Once the BBL is enacted, the ARMM will be deemed abolished and the new Bangsamoro autonomous region will be created adopting a parliamentary form of government.
There were 15 bus
iness organizations which signed the statement which include the ARMM Business Council Bangsamoro Business Club, Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Business for Social Progress, American Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/668-business-community-supports-the-passage-of-acceptable-and-meaningful-bbl
The business groups stressed, "With the timetable tightening and with the Bill still in the period of interpellations in Congress, we respectfully call on our congressmen and senators to act with urgency to not only quickly enact the BBL, but also to pass a version that is consistent with the Constitution, adheres to the commitments contained in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and truly embodies the dreams and aspirations of Muslim Filipinos."
"The BBL must not diminish what was already given to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)," they said and that "The Expanded ARMM Organic Act should form the baseline from where an acceptable and meaningful BBL is to be crafted."
Some important provisions of the original draft of the measure submitted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) were deleted during the deliberation in the two Houses of Congress.
The businessmen noted that the poorest and least developed provinces are found in the Bangsamoro, thus "the grant of full fiscal autonomy is essential and that the region must have power over inland water and "strategic mineral" within its jurisdiction."
They said, "We believe that there is no other viable path to winning the peace in Mindanao's conflicted areas but the completion of the peace process, and it cannot and will not move forward if the BBL remains stalled in Congress. Never before has the peace process progressed to a stage where we are at the brink of ending decades of armed conflict, which has displaced and killed thousands of persons, mostly civilians."
The business organizations reiterate their "support for the completion of the peace process and vowed to accompany the government towards its fulfillment every step of the way."
"Let the achievement of peace in Mindanao be our enduring legacy for the succeeding generations of Filipinos," they said.
The deliberation of BBL in both Chambers of Congress have been stalled due to lack of quorum. Stakeholders have been calling the legislators to work on the passage of the BBL consistent with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, a peace accord signed by the government and the MILF in 2014.
Once the BBL is enacted, the ARMM will be deemed abolished and the new Bangsamoro autonomous region will be created adopting a parliamentary form of government.
There were 15 bus
iness organizations which signed the statement which include the ARMM Business Council Bangsamoro Business Club, Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Business for Social Progress, American Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/new/item/668-business-community-supports-the-passage-of-acceptable-and-meaningful-bbl
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