By Emil G. Gamos
PLARIDEL, Bulacan, March 18 (PNA) — Peace and religious groups as well as the National Employees Union of the Department of Education (DepEd) have offered alternative steps to complement and reinforce the government’s peace process, particularly on the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
In a letter to Senator Teofisto “TG” Guingona III, chairman of the Senate Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, Ernesto A. Alcanzare, lead organizer of the Yes for Peace-Bayanihan para sa Kapayapaan, Kaunlaran and Kasaganahan (KKK); Evangelist Wilde James Comon Almeda, minister of the Jesus Miracle Crusade International Ministry and Domingo Alidon, president of DepEd National Employees Union, requested for an opportunity to present to the said committee several proposals for the BBL.
Alcanzare, Almeda and Alidon told Guingona in their letter that their proposals are based on the results of the education and advocacy phase of the Yes for Peace-Bayanihan para sa KKK campaign to which 11,236,918 Filipinos (10 years and above), have, thus far, responded for the clarion call of achieving long lasting peace in the country through open and participatory peace process.
The group is proposing several alternative steps to compliment and reinforce Guingona’s committee on its current consultation process.
They suggested that the committee’s output be: (1) inclusive of the inputs of stakeholders who feel that they have been left out of the process in crafting the BBL; (2) be more reflective of the will of majority of the Bangsamoro people and not only those of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as claimed by parties currently opposing it and be more acceptable to the rest of the Filipino people.
“Millions of Filipinos will appreciate it very much if their voices on the BBL issues will be heard considering that the Central Committee of the MILF has expressed their agreement for the peace process to be open and participatory just as President Benigno Aquino III has committed when he stated that ‘we shall endeavor to restore confidence in a peace process that is transparent and participative,’” Alcanzare said.
Alcanzare, Almeda and Alidon also said that they are looking forward to working together with the Ad Hoc Committee to “collectively turn the tide over and come up with a more pronounced BBL, which they claim is a document that will unite the Filipino people in the quest for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in lieu of its current state of being a document that threatens to divide the Filipino people and throw us back to the dark days of armed conflicts.”
The group also copy-furnished Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for the BBL of the House of Representatives and Senator Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate Committee Local Government of their proposal to strengthen the BBL. (PNA)