Lawmakers urged to remain compliant with CAB peace deal

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 1): Lawmakers urged to remain compliant with CAB peace deal

Despite the non-passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) under the 16th Congress, Moro leaders from various sectors will remain steadfast in pushing for a BBL that is compliant to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

In a press conference on Monday in Quezon City, several Moro multi-sector leaders vowed to pursue with the same vigor the passage of the BBL even in the next administration to achieve genuine autonomy and lasting peace in Muslim Mindanao.

Sultan Mohammad Bano from the Greenhills Muslim Traders Association, House of Bayang President Datu Abdul Rauf “Alex” Mamao, and Sultan Gamal Mala of Marawi have called on lawmakers to show more sincerity, respect, and consistency in accordance with the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (GPH-MILF).

“This call for the BBL passage will never end until such time that genuine autonomy is achieved in Mindanao,” said House of Bayang President Mamao.

“Ang aming panawagan sa gobyerno na ito ay igalang ang kasunduan sa CAB upang hindi mabigyang daan ang anumang uri ng pagkasiklab muli ng kaguluhan (Our call to the government is to respect the CAB in order to prevent any kind of conflict which may arise anew,)” added Sultan Mala.

As stipulated in the CAB signed between the GPH-MILF, two separate components will run through its implementation simultaneously: the political process that will lead to the establishment of the Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) through the enactment of an enabling law which is the BBL, and the normalization process which seeks to restore communities affected by decades-long armed conflict to peaceful and civilian lives.

Bano said that the BBL was “just a part and parcel” of what the Moro people were asking for, noting that the right to have self-determination and freedom was what they wanted to ultimately achieve.

For his part, One Bangsamoro Movement (1BANGSA) President and Lead Convenor Maulana “Alan” Balangi stressed that the conflict in Mindanao was not a religious or cultural war but a political one, thus the need for a political solution.

Balangi noted that the diluted form of the proposed BBL titled Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR) is not acceptable to the Bangsamoro people, further saying that it is not faithful to the CAB and in fact weaker than the ARMM.

Further, Balangi said the 1BANGSA might seek foreign assistance from the International Human Rights Commission and the United Nations to ensure that the Philippine government will deliver a CAB-compliant BBL.

“Hanggang kailan tayo maghihintay, hanggang kailan tayo magtitiis, upang tuluyang tuldukan ang hidwaan sa Mindanao (How long must we wait, how long must we suffer for us to completely put an end to the conflict in Mindanao?)” said Mala.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=852885