Bangsamoro multi-sector leaders on Monday expressed their
disappointment over the non-passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
In a press conference, One Bangsamoro Movement (1BANGSA)
President and Lead Convenor Maulana “Alan” Balangi claimed that the landmark
measure of the Aquino administration “is already an impossible dream.”
“While the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) offers the Muslim
Minority in this country the recognition of our identity, protection of what
remains of the Bangsamoro homeland, and the opportunity to exercise
self-determination through a parliamentary form of government that will run in
accordance with the Moro culture, faith, and way of life -- after more than 50
public hearings, 200 hours of House Committee hearings, and almost a year of
consultations, all these efforts were put to waste -- thrown into the abyss of
uncertainty and darkness,” said Balangi.
Balangi added that the Moro people were denied the required
votes and even the quorum to deliberate the BBL, chiefly due to the Jan. 25,
2015 Mamasapano incident which impeded the BBL’s smooth sailing passage.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. announced on Thursday (Jan.
28) that the BBL could not be passed in the current Congress, noting that even
if the House of Representatives approved the bill, the Senate has yet to tackle
its own version of the BBL.
For his part, Datu Abdul Rauf “Alex” Mamao, Royal House of Bayang
President, proposed the idea of holding special sessions to enact the BBL.
“We still have a chance. If they (legislators) show their
full sincerity, the President (Benigno Aquino III) has a prerogative to start a
special session for the passage of the BBL,” said Mamao, referring to Article
VI, Section 15 under the Constitution which stipulates that “the President may
call a special session any time.”
The BBL, which is the enabling law of the Comprehensive
Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is in the period of amendments at the House
of Representatives while the Senate is in the period of interpellation.
Balangi placed its hope to the next administration to fill
in the gaps of the BBL and ensure its passage.
“We will not abandon its remaining hope for the next
administration and fight for its realization,” he said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=852800
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