Duterte hopes BOL will reflect true sentiments of Moros

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (L) shakes hands with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Murad Ebrahim during the Ceremonial Confirmation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law Plebescite Law Canvass Results and Oath-taking of Transition Authority at the Malacanang palace in Manila on February 22, 2019. (Photo by Noel CELIS / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte is hopeful that the implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) would reflect the true sentiment of the Moro people.

Duterte also said that the law creating the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) would be implemented “in the days to come.”

“We have achieved something already. We have ratified the BOL. It’s going to be implemented in the days to come,” Duterte said Sunday night during the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Cagayan de Oro City.

“I hope that when it is implemented, initially it would reflect the true sentiments of our Moro brothers, mga Maguindanao,” he added.

The inauguration of the BARRM, which replaces the poverty- and conflict-stricken Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), is reportedly scheduled this week.

The BOL is the product of the government’s negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), whose key members and leaders are set to lead the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

In his speech during the oath-taking of BTA members last month, Duterte said that the creation of the BARMM is not just a fulfillment of a campaign promise but also a “realization of our collective desire.”

“It will be the realization of all our dreams and end long decades of armed struggle that hindered the growth of the region and I also consider my home,” Duterte said.

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