DUTERTE WARNS OF WAR
If BBL is not passed
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte warned that a war will erupt in Mindanao if Congress will fail to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
In his speech during the launch of Overseas Filipino Bank in Manila on Thursday, Duterte said failure to address the concerns of Bangsamoros could lead to more clashes in the country.
“Because at this time, if nothing will happen to the BBL or we change the Constitution or do not change the Constitution at all, there will be war in Mindanao, I can assure you. mamilikayo (You choose). Hindi ko na ma-control iyan ( I cannot control that),” Duterte said.
“And at this time, it could be a double whammy because my enemy would be their friends and what would that be? It’s the ISIS,” he added, using another name for Islamic State terrorists.
The BBL is the enabling measure of the peace compact signed by the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014. It aims to create a Bangsamoro political entity with enhanced autonomy.
Duterte has banked on the bill’s passage to heal the “historical injustices” suffered by the Moros, who have waged a separatist rebellion since the late 1960s.
The measure failed to pass in the previous administration because of the bloody Mamasapano clash, where 44 elite cops were killed by several assailants, among them members of Moro groups. The bill also faced questions on its constitutionality. Duterte met with MILF leaders led by Ibrahim Murad on Monday in Davao City. He gave assurances that BBL would be enacted first before he will pursue proposals to shift to a federal form of government.
Test
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday said the creation of a Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR) through the Bangsamoro Basic Law ( BBL) would be a “good test” to see if federalism will work on smaller scale.
Zubiri, chairman of the Senate subcommittee on BBL, is set to conduct next week a series of public hearings on the BBL that aims to abolish the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“I am willing to give it a chance especially now that extremism is going on again, recruitment is ongoing. I will focus on BBL is the long term solution that will provide long lasting peace in Mindanao,” he said.
“This will dictate whether we will have peace in Mindanao. This is the remaining promise that government has to fulfill to be able to complete the 1972 Tripoli agreement.”
Zubiri said the current BBL version of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) no longer contain provisions that would violate the Constitution.
“Our version relied heavily on the past version. During our brief- ing on December 20 (2017), I saw the BTC version. It’s good. They took out several unconstitutional provisions,” he told reporters.
Only two provinces were added to the current BBL version -- Cotabato and certain towns of Lanao del Norte. The earlier version included Palawan and Zamboanga City.
“They took out the provision that they will set up their own institutions such as their own Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission and Bangsamoro police,” Zubiri said. “This is a nice step to get 100 percent support from fellow lawmakers.”
The senator hopes to pass the BBL before Congress adjourns in March.
If the House of Representatives passes the same version, the two chambers will have a bicameral the BBL so they can ratify it when Congress resumes session in May.