BBL authors ask lawmakers to support BBL

QUEZON CITY– Sulu 1st district Rep. Tupay
Loong, vice chair of the House Adhoc Committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law
(BBL), today appealed to his fellow lawmakers and the Senate to pass the draft
Basic Law for Bangsamoro because it is the country’s only opportunity for peace
and development.

We are not
asking for sovereignty. We are merely asking for the return of some of our
rights such as self-determination and genuine autonomy. Please look into the
BBL seriously because this bill provides this country with the opportunity of
finally becoming one nation,” Loong, who along with House committee leaders,
told a media briefing.

The ad hoc
committee, through the amendments it introduced, was able to protect the
integrity of the Philippines by ensuring social justice to all Filipinos and
adhere to the 1987 Philippine Constitution. We are doing this now not because
of political pressure, but because we can no longer make peace in Mindanao
wait,” said Rep. Jim Hataman-Salliman, another AdHoc committee vice chair.

Earlier, authors
of the Bangsamoro bill, led by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, AdHoc committee chair,
assured Sen. Ferdinand BongBong Marcos Jr that the House committee conducted
due digilgence to ensure version of the draft law, HB 5811 or the draft Basic
Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR) was constitutional and and
responsive to the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people.

Senator
Marcos asked me if the BBL would be accepted by the MNLF (Moro National Liberation
Front). I told him yes because there would be no MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation
Front) without the MNLF,” Loong said.

Even if they
are not united now, they will have to unite because they are fighting for the
same history, the same people, and the same region, said the Sulu 1st
district.

He said the Philippine
government is in the thick of a a tripartite review on the 1996 Final Peace
Agreement forged with the MNLF as brokered by the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC).

He reminded
the public and the Ilocos senator that that OIC Secretary General Iyad bin Amin
Madani who visited Manila last month has activated the Bangsamoro Coordination
Forum (BCF) to help converge the separate but parallel peace processes with the
MNLF and the MILF.

Rodriguez was
hopeful the deliberation and debate of HB 5811 will hurdle Congress when
sessions resume Monday until Wednesday.

At least 28
more lawmakers are scheduled to raise questions on the bill and Rodriguez
believed it will survived questioning.

I think most
of the questions of our colleagues in the House revolve around the opt-in
clause,” Rodriguez said.

The
contiguity is by land, and never by sea. To those expressing reservations
because they are adjacent to a local government unit which is adjacent to the
proposed Bangsamoro region, I think that’s far-fetch speculation and that their
fears are groundless.”

Rodriguez
explained that the ad hoc committee reworded the opt-in clause in the original
BBL to ensure that the only areas that could opt-in were those contiguous and
mentioned in the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.

That leaves
us with only three provinces that are eligible for the opt-in provisionand North
Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Lanao del Norte, Rodriguez said.

The substitute
bill also provided only two chances to join the Bangsamoro, on the fifth and
tenth year after the enactment of the law.

Rodriguez said
that the Bangsamoro initiative of the current administration now lies in the
hands of Congress, I hope Senate sees the importance of the passage of
the BLBAR as it is positioned to bring complete security and stability not only
in Mindanao, but for the whole country.”

Congress
sessions resume 4 p.m. Monday with Rep. Celso Lobregat returning to the podium
to continue his inquiries and interpellation.

Rodriguez said
voting is expected Wednesday.