BBL passage will change Mindanao’s violent narrative – Deles

MANILA – The much-awaited passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will not only improve the fate of the Bangsamoro region but will also change the discourse on Mindanao as it will signal the closing of the armed conflict with the largest Moro rebel group in the country, said Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles. Yung kailangan siguro sa panahong ito talaga yung big picture ang tinitingnan. ‘Yung farsightedness… dahil sa totoo lang itong batas na ito hindi lang pang ngayon [but] it will [also] affect the future of the Bangsamoro (What we need to see at this point in time is the big picture. The farsightedness… because, in reality, this law is not only for the present but it will also affect the future of the Bangsamoro),” Deles said in an interview on national television. Mapapalitan na natin ang narrative nitong lugar na ito from one of distrust, despair, violence to one na meron kang bagong opportunities [and] new hopes (We can change the narrative of this place from one of distrust, despair, violence to one with opportunities [and] new hopes), she added. [The two peace] parties and a large constituency, church leaders, civil society, even business leaders have come to a consensus on this, not to mention [that the] international community is so ready. Deles emphasized that the passage of the BBL should not be passed on to the next administration, but rather the final decision and action to the Mindanao armed conflict depends on the current Congress and the political will of the legislators. [M]as nakasalalay dito sa mga nakaupo mismo ngayon na sila ang kailangan talagang magpasya na... umabot na [tayo sa] mahabang panahon, [kaya] hindi lang ito yung sinasabing minadali. Ang tagal nila [at] andaming consultations nangyari [kaya] halos lahat na ng tanong ay nandiyan na (It really rests on the incumbent political leaders we have today to decide... this has gone on for such a long time, that is why they can't say that there has been any railroading. It has been so long and various consultations have been made to ensure that all questions are answered). Despite the limited timeframe of Congress for BBL passage, Deles remains positive that it can still be done under the Aquino administration. [W]e will keep on pushing and not give up hope on this. It's a very tight window but those who know the legislative process said that it is still possible. Cagayan de Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez, who serves as chairman of the ad hoc committee on the BBL, announced earlier that the House agreed to vote on the bill on 27 January.? During the course of the interview, the OPAPP secretary was also asked about the re-opening of the Senate probe on the Mamasapano incident.Deles welcomed the motion of Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile to reopen the Mamasapano investigation at the committee level to put closure on the issue. [W]e will respect Senator Enrile na siya yung nagtulak nito na mayroon nga siyang mga tanong na inaasahan nating makakatulong sa pag-intindi sa nangyari (We will respect Senator Enrile who is pushing for this because he still has questions that would help in making us understand what really happened),” she said. Kung kailangan buksan [dahil] may mga issue pang pag-uusapan, may mga tanong, i-focus doon (If we are going to open because there are issues still to be addressed, all questions should focus there). [I am hoping that] it will be factual and it will help to [give the] big picture of what really happened.”She reminded lawmakers that the BBL passage should not be affected with the Mamasapano probe re-opening and that the remaining session days would be used to focus on important bills currently pending for legislation.###