Osbi Santillan, of World without Wars and Violence, informed Pressenza: “that the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), prepared by the Bangsamoro Transition Council (BTC) has been turned over by the President of the Philippines to the Legislative Branch (Senate and Congress) of the Philippine Government for them to deliberate and debate. This draft hopefully results with a Bangsamoro Law that will provide the process by which autonomy can be granted to the areas in southern Philippines where Muslims are the majority.”
This is an advance and a fulfillment of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) negotiated by the respective peace panels of the Government of the Republich of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Army (MILF).
The negotiating process of which the CAB was the result was long and arduous with both sides having to “give and take”; the same could be said of the crafting of the BBL by the BTC.
Reporting from Mandaluyong City for MindaNews on 7 September 2014, Carolyn O. Arguillas informed readers that the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was finally done.
The BBL serves as the legal document of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) which is a result of more than 17 years of negotiations as the parties vowed to end the decades-old conflict in the south. When passed into law and ratified in a plebiscite in the core territory, the BBL will establish the Bangsamoro government in Mindanao as envisioned in the southern peace deal.
Fourteen members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), the body mandated to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law, signed Sunday the transmittal letter for submission of the final draft to President Aquino, Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the BTC and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel said.
Iqbal told MindaNews at the end of the BTC session that President Aquino, who will certify the bill as urgent, will hand over the final draft to Congress during ceremonies in Malacanang on September 10, at an assembly that will be attended by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, and members of the BTC.
The journalist quotes the five-paragraph transmittal letter: “The refinement (of the draft) reflects the agreed inputs of both the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace panels to harmonize the various contentious issues, including the valuable contributions of the Office of the President and their legal teams. In so doing, they went to the process of tackling the unresolved issues, taking into consideration the vision of His Excellency to bring peace to Mindanao.”
BTC deputy vice chair Akmad Sakkam of Indanan, Sulu, a former Ambassador, told MindaNews he is “happy with the refined draft because it is a product of concerted efforts of the stakeholders, including those appointed to draft the Basic law. That draft will certainly bring not only the hope of obtaining peace in Mindanao but the reality of peace.”
Anther government-nominated BTC member, former Congressman Asani Tammang
of Panamao, Sulu, said, “I sincerely belive that the draft reflects the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people and will serve as a uniting force between the Bangsamoro and the rest of the nation.
Commissioner Fatmawati Salapuddin, also of Sulu, told MindaNews she still has an “issue with freedom of choice. Freedom of choice should also be enjoyed by Muslim tribes like us, Tausugs. It is a basic right.” Salapuddin said in the final draft, “Freedom of choice is only for the IPs (indigenous peoples).”
She was referring to the most asked question by the Indigenous Peoples regarding IPRA (Indigenous Peoples Rights Act) which has been dropped in the latest review and the State conceded. “In my view and understanding, my strong interpretation is that IPRA must
be upheld in the BBL and the right of IP over their ancestral domain in the Bangsamoro shall be recognized as a vested right of the Indigenous Peoples and that is inherent to us based on our native title or fusaka inged. This is a continuing struggle to have our rights finally recognized,” she ended.
