By Edwin O. Fernandez
MANILA, June 7 (PNA) – Sulu 1st District Rep. Tupay Loong, vice chair of the House Ad Hoc Committee on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), appealed on Saturday to his fellow lawmakers and the Senate to pass the draft Basic Law for the Bangsamoro because it is the country’s only opportunity for peace and development.
“We are not asking for sovereignty. We are merely asking for the return of some of our rights such as self-determination and genuine autonomy. Please look into the BBL seriously because this bill provides this country with the opportunity of finally becoming one nation,” Loong, along with other House committee leaders, told a media briefing.
“The Ad Hoc committee, through the amendments it introduced, was able to protect the integrity of the Philippines by ensuring social justice to all Filipinos and adhere to the 1987 Philippine Constitution. We are doing this now not because of political pressure, but because we can no longer make peace in Mindanao wait,” said Rep. Jim Hataman-Salliman, another Ad Hoc committee vice chair.
Earlier, authors of the Bangsamoro bill, led by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Ad Hoc committee chair, assured Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr that the House committee conducted due diligence to ensure that the version of the draft law, HB 5811 or the draft Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR), is constitutional and responsive to the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people.
“Senator Marcos asked me if the BBL would be accepted by the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front). I told him yes because there would be no MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) without the MNLF,” Loong said.
“Even if they are not united now, they will have to unite because they are fighting for the same history, the same people, and the same region,” said the Sulu 1st district lawmaker.
He said the Philippine government is in the thick of a tripartite review on the 1996 Final Peace Agreement forged with the MNLF as brokered by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
He reminded the public and the Ilocos senator that that OIC Secretary General Iyad bin Amin Madani, who visited Manila last month, has activated the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) to help converge the separate but parallel peace processes with the MNLF and the MILF.
Rodriguez was hopeful the deliberation and debate on HB 5811 will hurdle Congress when sessions resume Monday until Wednesday.
At least 28 more lawmakers are scheduled to raise questions on the bill and Rodriguez believes it will survived questioning.
“I think most of the questions of our colleagues in the House revolve around the opt-in clause,” Rodriguez said.
“The contiguity is by land, and never by sea. To those expressing reservations because they are adjacent to a local government unit which is adjacent to the proposed Bangsamoro region, I think that’s far-fetch speculation and that their fears are groundless.”
Rodriguez explained that the ad hoc committee reworded the opt-in clause in the original BBL to ensure that the only areas that could opt-in are those contiguous and mentioned in the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.
“That leaves us with only three provinces that are eligible for the opt-in provision: North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Lanao del Norte.”
The substitute bill also provides only two chances to join the Bangsamoro, on the fifth and 10th year after the enactment of the law.
Rodriguez said that the Bangsamoro initiative of the current administration now lies in the hands of Congress. “I hope the Senate sees the importance of the passage of the BLBAR as it is positioned to bring complete security and stability not only in Mindanao, but for the whole country.”
The House of Representatives resumes session at 4 p.m. Monday with Rep. Celso Lobregat returning to the podium to continue his inquiries and interpellation.
Rodriguez said voting is expected on Wednesday. (PNA)