3 Moro lawyers endorsed for ConCom

COTABATO CITY — At least three experienced Moro lawyers have been nominated as members of the prospective Consultative Committee (ConCom) that President Duterte will soon name to review the 1987 Constitution and make recommendations toward a shift to federalism.

Lawyers Naguib Sinarimbo and Nasser Marohomsalic, former executive secretary of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and erstwhile commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights, respectively, have been endorsed by the Bangsamoro Movement for Peace and Development (BMPD).

“Whatever track our President may want to pursue, be it federalism or BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law passage) first, Moro people should not be left out or misrepresented again. I am personally nominating…two Moro lawyers – Naguib Sinarimbo and Nasser Marohomsalic. Their credentials vouch for their integrity, credibility and expertise,” BMPD’s Drieza Abato Lininding said yesterday in his Facebook post.

Lawyer Michael Mastura, a member of the commission that crafted the 1987 Constitution, was also cited in other social media pages as another “deserving” appointee.

Last month, President Duterte told reporters in Davao City that he would name the 25 ConCom members only after the BBL draft shall have been submitted for Palace review before his July 24 State-of-theNation Address (SONA) prior to its transmittal to Congress.

“I will not name them until I get the hard copy,” the President said, referring to the BBL draft being crafted by the 21member Bangsamoro Transition Commission chaired by Moro Islamic Liberation Front first Vice Chairman Ghadzali Jaafar.

Duterte signed Executive Order No. 10 on Dec. 7, 2016, creating the 25-member ConCom to “study, conduct consultations, and review the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, including but not limited to, the provisions on the structure and powers of the government, local governance, and economic policies.”

Last March 13 or four months after the EO signing, the President told Palace reporters that he was “waiting for the Bangsamoro draft” as requisite to the appointment of the ConCom members.

The Chief Executive said he would want “the best of minds” to be in the ConCom.