COTABATO CITY, Philippines—A day before Congress resumes its regular session today, some 5,000 people from the predominantly Muslim provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur called on lawmakers to immediately pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law during a rally at the city plaza on Sunday.
“The draft law has undergone scrutiny by government lawyers and legal minds, and we do not see it as violative of the Constitution,” Bobby Benito, chair of the Mindanao Alliance for Peace (MAP), told reporters.
Similar peace rallies were also held in the cities of Davao, General Santos, Tacurong, Marawi, Pagadian and Isabela, and in the towns of Pikit in North Cotabato province, Jolo in Sulu province, and Bonggao in Tawi-Tawi province, Benito said.
The proposed measure, submitted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission to President Aquino for endorsement, is expected to undergo scrutiny by the Senate and the House of Representatives. Benito said the Bangsamoro people subscribed to the road map for peace of the Aquino administration.
“We are appealing for the passage of the proposed bill expected to be certified as urgent by the President,” the MAP leader said. “History tells us that no other Philippine President has shown as much passion and concern for the Bangsamoro people than President Aquino. We take that as a cue and we are capitalizing on it so that peace can be achieved in our homeland.”
The rally, attended by Maranao and Maguindanao peoples, “simply shows our desire for lasting peace in Mindanao,” he said.
Sol Sangki, a resident of Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in Maguindanao, brought along her three teenage daughters to the rally.
“It is for their future,” Sangki said. “I do not want them to suffer the pain of fleeing when war breaks out, especially when they have families of their own.”
The woman said her family had fled many times from battles that broke out in her village.
Farmer Usop Umag, 50, said he would like to see peace achieved in his village while he is still alive. Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao