Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos
Deles lauded the 35 congressmen who expressed full support for the swift
passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in a press statement last
March 18.
“We laud and fully support the efforts of our valiant
legislators who see and recognize the need for the passage of the Bangsamoro
Basic Law, especially because this important piece of legislation is a step
towards finally resolving the decades-long conflict in Muslim Mindanao,” Deles
said.
“We understand that the statement was issued by legislators
not only from Mindanao, but from Visayas and Luzon
as well, along with representatives from party-list groups,” Deles added. “This
only shows how broad the clamor for peace is, and we are heartened to see that
our legislators recognize that clamor and that they are prepared to fight for
it even if that may not be a popular position to take right now.”
The solons’ expression of support for the BBL coincided with
the 47th commemoration of the Jabidah Massacre in Corregidor, which is widely
recognized as a key cause of the current armed conflict in Mindanao .
“We call for peace. We reiterate our support and continue to
call for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and we assure the Filipino
public that we will do everything in our power to make sure that it will pass,”
their statement reads.
“We as legislators understand, perhaps more than anyone,
that a law cannot automatically guarantee peace,” it adds. “However, we believe
this is a step—the only step we have now—in the right direction. Otherwise, we
can only imagine a future of more Mamasapanos, more Jabidahs. That is not the
future we want, and it is our duty as Representatives of the Filipino people to
make sure this does not happen.”
The statement was signed by representatives Henedina Abad,
Francis Gerald Abaya, Malou Acosta-Alba, Nicasio Aliping, Jorge Almonte,
Isagani Amatong, Benjamin Asilo, Kaka Bag-ao, Teddy Baguilat, Pangalian
Balindong, Bolet Banal, Kit Belmonte, Winnie Castelo, Joaquin Chipeco, Jr.,
Sonny Collantes, Ronald Cosalan, Arthur Defensor, Jr., Anthony del Rosario,
Cheryl Deloso-Montalla, Edgar Erice, Ben Evardone, Lawrence Fortun, Jim
Hataman-Salliman, Doy Leachon, JC Rahman Nava, Josephine Ramirez-Sato, Rene
Relampagos, Oscar Rodriguez, Cesar Sarmiento, Bai Sandra Sema, Eric Singson,
Jerry Treñas, Reynaldo Umali, Isidro Ungab, and Maricar Zamora.
The 35 solons also issued a call to their colleagues even as
a manifesto to reschedule the hearings on the BBL is being circulated by some
of the members of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Bangsamoro, highlighting the need
to act swiftly on the proposed law.
“We have the opportunity to begin stopping all these, right
here and right now. And so we call on our colleagues to take the high road of
statesmanship in these difficult times,” the statement said.
“The Bangsamoro Basic Law must and will undergo intense
scrutiny in Congress—but let us remember that we have to pass a law that
remains faithful in substance to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro,
not because of what it is or who forged that agreement, but because we believe
doing so is the only way to ensure the law we pass will provide a real and
lasting solution for Mindanao and the country,” it adds.
“To quote Dr. Martin Luther King, we are here to remind the
nation of the fierce urgency of NOW,” the solons added in their statement. “We
have no more time left to lose: all these injustices, this armed conflict, have
gone for far too long now. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to sit
together as a nation and resolve our differences. Now is the time to boldly
make our choice for a future of justice, a future of prosperity, a future of
peace. Our people ask for nothing more, and they deserve nothing less.”
“It is reassuring to see that our solons, in the spirit of
true statesmanship, recognize how urgent and pressing the passage of this law
is—evident in this expression of support and in the willingness of the
leadership of the Ad Hoc Committee to work on the bill even while Congress is
adjourned,” Deles noted.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=746245
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