Groups urge Bangsamoro people to reject BBL if not compliant with CAB

Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) advocates have called on the Bangsamoro people to reject the BBL passed by the bicameral conference panel if it does not comply with the goals of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

The Bangsamoro Insider Mediators Group, composed of diverse multi-sectoral members from Mindanao, held a press conference on Wednesday at the Crowne Plaza in Pasig City to express their aspirations for the enactment of a BBL drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC).

“Kung ang BBL na aaprubahan ng Kongreso ay hindi compliant sa CAB, kami po ang unang mananawagan sa ating MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), sa ating sambayanang Bangsamoro na huwag po itong tanggapin,” said Pendatun Disimban, president of Assalam Bangsamoro People’s Association.

(If Congress will approve the BBL that is not compliant with CAB, we will be the first to call the MILF and the Bangsamoro people to reject it.)

“Ang BTC BBL ay kapayapaan at ang kapayapaan ay BTC BBL. Ito na po ang pinakatamang panahon upang makamit ang tunay na kapayapaan sa Mindanao,” he added.

(The BTC BBL is peace and peace is the BTC BBL. This is the right time for us to truly have peace in Mindanao.)

Sittie Janine Balt of the Coaliton of the Moro Youth Movement, meanwhile, hopes for a BBL that would prevent the youth from engaging in violent acts and inspire them to work for peace instead.

“Give us a law that can pacify the almost impatient youth who can easily be swayed, a law that can be used as a tool in convincing our people who are vulnerable or prone to extremism that working for peace is more profitable than engaging in violent activities,” she said.

“Make the passage of a CAB-compliant BBL a sweet memory of our history that we can proudly share to the next generation,” she continued.

Signed on March 27, 2014 by the government and the MILF, the CAB, which is the final peace agreement to end the decades-old conflict in Mindanao, served as the basis of the BTC version of the BBL.

READ: What is the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro?

Groups oppose Bangsamoro regional police under PNP

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, co-chair of the bicameral conference panel on BBL, explained on Tuesday that the Bangsamoro Regional Police would still be under the supervision of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Zubiri added that the Bangsamoro police would be managed by a regional director appointed by a chief minister in accordance with Republic Act 6975 or the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990.

READ: Zubiri: Bicam agrees in 3 crucial BBL provision

Nassif Malawani, president of the Metro Manila Muslim Traders Association, has expressed dismay over Zubiri’s statement, saying that many things are achievable if the panel would adopt the proposal for the Bangsamoro to have its own police. — Syrah Vivien Inocencio/INQUIRER.net /ee