OPAPP: Open Letter to the Philippine Congress from the Government and MILF Peace Panels

From the OPAPP Website (Nov 26): Open Letter to the Philippine Congress from the Government and MILF Peace Panels

Let us not lose time

Time is short, but there is still time. We ask our legislators to work for the immediate passage of the draft law on the Bangsamoro.

Time is of the essence, and opportunity knocks only once.

The passage of the law will pave the way for the decommissioning of thousands of weapons and combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). It will enable the peaceful transition of an armed group into regular members of society, participating and competing in free and fair elections.

Let us allow the MILF to proceed to the third and last stage of their struggle: from pure armed struggle from 1972 to 1997;  political struggle from 1997 to the passage and ratification of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL); to democratic struggle where their rights and aspirations are pursued solely through civilized and democratic means.

The Bangsamoro law will establish a more representative and responsive autonomous government, without the structural flaws found in the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). It will sustain the development initiatives that have flourished under the current ceasefire and the normalization programs provided for in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

Let us not lose time.

A good legislation passed in this Congress will redound to the benefit of the next administration. For one, the next president will be in an immensely better position to continue the peace and development efforts that have been gradually put in place, without the difficulty of having to reinstate a stalled process.

Secondly, the next Congress will be able to focus on other important laws. It will be spared the burden of having to go through new rounds of committee hearings and plenary interpellations on a Bangsamoro law.

Some say that the next administration and Congress will have more time. Our fear is that it would have lost precious time too -- precious time that could have closed the door to extreme, violent movements that recruit followers by exploiting the alienation of segments of the population from government and society at large.

In the light of the recent horrible spate of violence that we have been witnessing in Paris, Mali, Syria and other parts of the world, we call to mind the words of the National Security Council last October 20, 2014, at the public hearing of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc committee on the draft law:

  "The passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law has positive national security implications. For one, this will settle one of the more serious internal armed conflicts and essentially free up a significant component of the Armed Forces of the Philippines… to shift resources to focus on external concerns, principally the protection of our external territorial integrity and maritime domain which is now being threatened.

Passing the BBL can help in curbing the spread of extremism in Mindanao. In particular, the Bangsamoro government would be able to help moderate Islamic leaders to counter the ideology of radicalism being promoted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and steer the Muslim community away from ISIS influence."*

From this global lens, the Philippine peace process on the Bangsamoro has earned the support of the international community for providing a model whereby an Islamic movement can find redress of its grievances through a civilized and democratic process, within the country’s territorial integrity and constitutional framework.

We are at the cusp of closing a major armed conflict that has divided our people for decades. But we cannot reach our destination without the goodwill and show of statesmanship from our leaders in the august halls of Congress, in whose hands the legislative power lies.

In particular, we beseech Speaker of the House Feliciano Belmonte, Jr.  and Senate President Franklin Drilon, as well as House Ad Hoc Committee Chair Rufus Rodriguez and Senate Local Governments Committtee Chair Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., to see through the legislative process leading to the passage of the law.

We ask you, our legislators, to open your hearts and to give our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters this one good chance to enjoy the right to peace, and partake of meaningful reforms and development.

In behalf of the Government and MILF Peace Panels,

Miriam Coronel Ferrer
Chair, GPH Panel

Mohagher Iqbal
Chair, MILF Panel

http://www.opapp.gov.ph/milf/news/open-letter-philippine-congress-government-and-milf-peace-panels