A look into the ‘spoilers’ of the Bangsamoro Peace Process (Part 1)

ON SATURDAY morning, August 12, I read on a Facebook post of my cousin that Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo filed in the House of Representatives House Bill (HB) 6121, entitled, “An Act Providing for the Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and Abolishing the Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao, Repealing for the Purpose Republic Act No. 9054, and Republic Act 6734, and For Other Purposes.” Records show that HB 6121 was received by Congress on August 3, 2017.

The explanatory note of HB 6121, it stated, “During the State of the Nation Address last 24 July 2017, the President mentioned that in order to achieve just and lasting peace for a unified nation, the government is pursuing an inclusive peace process, promoting the participation of all stakeholders, including those in conflict-affected areas.” The note also mentioned Executive Order 08, “The Creation of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission”, and the creation of an inclusive Bangsamoro government. I was actually stunned when I learned about HB 6121 because it is far different from the draft that we, in the Bangsamoro Transition Commission 2017, submitted to President Duterte on July 17, 2017 at Malacanang Palace.

Under Section 1 of this Bill provides, “Short Title: This Act shall be known as the Basic Act for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BABAR). I realized that the bill that she filed with a short title of BABAR means “stupid, imbecile or dumb” in Maguindanao language. With this title, it is an insult to the Bangsamoro people and the several decades of ongoing peace process between our government and the Bangsamoro people.

According to our legal staff, HB6121 is similar to former Senator Bongbong Marcos’ substitute bill SB 2894. Although it is not yet conclusive, HB 6121 and SB 2894 is 90% similar in terms of typographical errors and wrongly numbered provisions.

In my almost twenty years of experience of formal (meaning part of the government) and informal (through my work in UNDP and