Next admin should implement CAB and pass BBL --Ferrer

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 26): Next admin should implement CAB and pass BBL --Ferrer 

For Government of the Philippines chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, the response of all five presidential candidates in last Sunday's third and last leg of PiliPinas Debates 2016 on the issue of Mindanao peace showed that “there is no other way to go but to fully implement the CAB (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro) and to pass a BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law).”

“The debate showed that there is no escaping the need to find a lasting solution to the Bangsamoro question. We believe all of them see the wisdom in our peace efforts although they highlighted different angles. All these angles are actually addressed in the CAB,” said Ferrer.

The peace and order situation in Mindanao, as well as the peace process between the GPH and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the stalled BBL were thoroughly discussed during the presidential debate yesterday with the five hopefuls expressing desire to put an end to the armed conflict that has ravaged southern Philippines for decades.

“The war in Mindanao runs deep. You know, this may sound funny to you but when Magellan landed in Leyte, Islam was already planted firmly in Mindanao... We have to talk and we have to correct the historical injustice,” said Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte, a known proponent of federalism, is the only Mindanaoan among the five presidential candidates. “It has to be a development but you have to make the peace there before you can do anything. If we don’t engage them in peace talks, everything will fail. I would like to tell you, nothing will appease the Muslims, the Moro people, if you do not give them the BBL."

The BBL is based on the 2014 negotiated peace settlement between the GPH and the MILF known as the CAB. When passed, the BBL will abolish the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and establish a parliamentary government with more political and fiscal autonomy. However, the 16th Congress adjourned last February in light of the upcoming elections without acting on the bill.

“Kaya natin isinulong yung Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro, para magkaroon na nga ng kapayapaan. Alam natin kung walang development, walang kapayapaan. Pero kung wala namang kapayapaan, wala ding progreso at development (That’s why we pushed for the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, to have peace already. We know that without development, there will be no peace. But without peace, there will also be no progress and development),” said former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, the current administration’s presidential bet.

“Kaya't dalawang – dalawang kilos po ito. Sa isang bahin, yung ating gobyerno, sinusulong ang usapin para sa kapayapaan sa lahat ng mga sektor lalung-lalo na sa MILF doon sa Mindanao. At sa kabilang bahin, yung development, yung imprastraktura (That’s why this is a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, our government is pushing for peace with all sectors especially with the MILF in Mindanao. And on the other hand, development and infrastructure),” he added.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, for his part, explained that the armed conflict in Mindanao is due to the prevailing poverty and under development in the region. “Sa aking palagay, yan hong lasting peace na yan eh makakamit kung mahaharap po natin ang problema ng kahirapan na naglipana po don sa inyong lugar. Yan po ang pinagmulan kung bakit meron hong gustong umalis, ito ho ay gumagamit ng dahas para ibagsak ang pamahalaan. Pero, ang puno't dulo po n'yan ay yung kahirapan (In my opinion, lasting peace in Mindanao can be achieved if we are able to find a solution to poverty. That’s the reason why some people are choosing to leave or take up arms against the government, but the root of all those is poverty).”

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago advocated incorporating the Bangsamoro’s customary and traditional laws into the country’s prevailing concept of justice. “To stop the conflict in Mindanao, we have to adapt their customary or traditional law into our Western style model of justice – of the justice system.” She added that there was also a need “to dismantle private armies.”

Senator Grace Poe took the strong-arm approach among all the candidates, explaining that there had to be an all-out war against terrorists alongside all-out development for conflict affected and poverty-torn communities.

“Doon sa mga terorista na nananakit o pumapatay, hindi natin dapat sila pagbigyan kung ayaw nilang makipagbalikan, makipagusapan sa gobyerno. All-out war sa mga nagbabanta sa atin, pero dapat all out-development rin (To terrorists who hurt and kill, we will not give them anymore chances if they don’t want to return to the fold and to talk with the government. All-out war to those who threaten us, but all-out development is also necessary).”

PiliPinas Debate 2016 is a debate series conceptualized and administered by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in preparation for the upcoming May 9 elections in partnership with major television networks and newspapers.

The first leg was held in Cagayan de Oro City, followed by the next one in Cebu City. The third leg was held last Sunday at the Student Plaza of the University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City.

Preserve peace gains

Santiago’s suggestion to incorporate the traditional and customary laws is not new, as it had already been addressed both in the CAB and the original draft of the BBL.

According to the signed document, three justice systems will prevail in the Bangsamoro autonomous region: the regular courts, the Shariah courts, and the traditional courts to address the different needs of the Bangsamoro’s mixed population of Muslims, Christians, and Lumads.

Both Poe’s and Santiago’s suggestions to dismantle private armed groups and go after terrorists are found in the Normalization Annex of the CAB.

President Benigno S. Aquino III signed last year an executive order for the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to conduct law enforcement operations against private armed groups and terrorist groups in the area.

Binay, Duterte, and Roxas all spoke of socioeconomic development alongside the peace process – something that is already being done in the implementation of the CAB. In fact, socioeconomic programs comprise an important aspect of the Normalization Component of the peace agreement.

Aside from the Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program that was designed in order for the communities in the area to immediately reap the dividends of peace through health, education and livelihood interventions, several task forces such as the Task Force for the Transformation of Camps and the Task Force for the Decommissioned Combatants and their Communities were established for this purpose.

Ferrer underscored the various headways of the current administration and called on the presidentiables to preserve its gains and immediately move forward with its continuity.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=879782