Peace consultant raises 4 red flags after BBL shelving in Congress

COTABATO CITY – Amid cautious statements from the Aquino government not to take the violent path in dealing with the Bangsamoro fiasco in Congress, an erstwhile top executive of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has raised four scenarios with explosive effects on the entire country.

“I hope the people are mindful of the danger posed by these deadly combinations,” said lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, former executive secretary during the reign of ARMM Gov. Ansaruddin Adiong.

He enumerated the following deadly scenarios as: “Frustration over the failure of government to deliver on its obligation to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (in Congress); the coming elections and its inherent challenges; the prolonged drought and its devastating effects on agricultural lands and farmers; and the violent extremism which will find its way into this country ultimately.”

“Unless addressed with dispatch and with utmost concern we will all be at the losing end,” said Sinarimbo, member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace negotiating panel that helped craft the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro where most of the BBL provisions were lifted.

Shortly prior to the first Presidential debate held in Cagayan de Oro City, Sinarimbo lashed at the Office of the President for the BBL fiasco, saying to blame Congress for its failure to enact the proposed measure was nothing but “palusot” (using a scapegoat or making excuses).

He expressed apprehension that Moro radical groups might turn extremist if Malacañang would remain deaf and passive to the imminent danger ahead.

The same concern was also raised by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte during his recent visit to the MILF Camp Darapanan in Maguindanao, describing it as a powder keg that might explode with some disgruntled Moro groups joining the dreaded Islamic States espousing terrorism.

Aiming for the Presidency, Duterte considered the BBL issue as a serious matter that the Aquino administration should not take lightly through finger-pointing.

The shelving of the diluted BBL, regarded as the death of a Bangsamoro government that could have replaced ARMM when approved in toto, prompted majority of the Moro electorate to choose for an Aquino successor who has the heart to resolve the century-old Moro struggle for self-determination.

Army Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the Sixth Infantry Division, said government security forces have been preparing against possible terror activities not only because of the BBL fiasco, but also because of its duty to ensure a peaceful and orderly conduct of the May 9 polls aggravated by the intense heat of the El Niño phenomenon that has left devastated farmers in Mindanao furious enough to join radical groups.

Pangilinan said since Feb. 5 to March 28, the military was able to recover 64 improvised explosives in Maguindanao and North Cotabato under the coverage area of the 6th ID.

He said his men have been running after the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, an MILF breakaway group of rebels that have been blamed for most of the atrocities lately.

Despite warnings of renewed bloody confrontations, MILF Chair Murad Ebrahim has appealed for calm and sobriety, saying it would be a big mistake for all Bangsamoro peace stakeholders to discontinue the pursuit for peace and development.

“Turning our backs on the peace process would be a mistake,” Ebrahim said in a statement during the CAB second anniversary on Monday.  SFM