Why the BOL inspires many
THE recently passed and widely lauded Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is a landmark law not only for the provisions it bears, but because of the wide support it has received from various groups.
Among the observations noted in past peace efforts was the failure to achieve broad support from various, sometimes competing stakeholders. The support it has received now brings a lot of hope.
Likewise, unlike in previous agreements, its hope is premised on a deeper trust in the capability of government to apply the right political will to help each entity deliver and enjoy its gains, springing from what many feel is a long overdue recognition of historical injustice.
This confidence is also buttressed by strong relations with ASEAN countries, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia, which will do well to boost this confidence in the BOL.
In particular, higher level security cooperation via the presence of joint mechanisms to secure peace such as joint maritime patrols strengthen common action against violent extremists that will stop at nothing to revive discontent and threaten the gains of peace.
Yet while the challenges remain, and naysayers wil probably surface, the higher confidence held by many will better sustain it when compared to past agreements.
This unified support serves to strengthen the BOL’s mandate to pursue what is needed to combat threats to peace, such as violent extremist groups and those who want to bring Mindanao back to the age of continuous strife.
Knowing these, the broad support from various stakeholders and strong commitments from neighboring countries are key elements that make the BOL different from past agreements. These characteristics will also help it weather threats against it.
These various elements considered, the road to lasting peace as stated by many statements supporting the BOL should be paved not only with development, but be predicated on a recognition of the uniqueness and deep history of the Bangsamoro in this complex world.
This will embolden the partnership of stakeholders committed to protect the peace from threats. This cultivates a deep, more personal commitment to sustaining the peace and compel the cultivation, and sharing of its fruits.
With these, we hope to leave the past and its legacy of peace failures behind.
Facing cartels for the first time
If there is one that surprised many during the State of the Nation Address, it is the statements warning rice cartels. For the first time, a sitting president challenges this long-entrenched cabal of people who control importations and artificially game prices to keep them high.
Now comes a radical legislative proposal called the rice tarrification bill. This aims to allow more people, not just the favored importers, to bring in more rice that can lower prices.
This is an urgent and priority measure to help ease inflation and bring down prices of the food staple by as much as 17 per kilo.
No less than Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez says that liberalizing rice imports through the passage into law of the rice tariffication bill now pending in the Congress is vital in helping low-income households cope with inflation, given that rice accounts for 20 percent of their consumption.
More importantly, others say that this will stop the old quota-based system that was abused to create artificial shortages that kept rice prices high, since the authority to import was limited to a few favored importers.
This statement against the cartels and the tarrification bill is a bold step. For reactions: