House of Representatives AP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Bangsamoro basic bill faced stiff opposition from some lawmakers during the first day of the committee hearings in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Present for the ad hoc committee hearing are Presidential Adviser for Peace Process Secretary Teresita “Ging” Deles, government peace panel chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, and MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal.
Zamboanga Del Sur Rep. Aurora Cerilles explicitly opposed the passage of the bill, claiming that it only seeks to implement the peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Cerilles said the MILF is not the only Bangsamoro group in the region.
“This will not lead to lasting peace in Mindanao. We should not forget that MILF does not represent the entire Bangsamoro,
MILF is just one of those who strove for self-determination. There are still other groups who we should listen to,” Cerilles said.
“The basic law will only divide the Mindanao Island and will lead to another social volcano,” she added.
Cerilles also said that the law will only “expand the vision of the Bangsamoro territory” that will result in other Muslim areas outside the political entity in joining the Bangsamoro.
“It will create a scenario of a tug-of-war between the Bangsamoro and local government units, creating chaos and instability,” Cerilles said.
Iligan City Rep. Vicente Belmonte expressed concern on the provision allowing other areas outside the Bangsamoro territory to also join the entity upon a petition of at least 10 percent of the constituents.
He said his representation Iligan City may turn into a municipality from a highly-urbanized district, and thus decrease their share to the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), basically the local government unit’s annual share from the proceeds of the national internal revenue taxes.
“Suppose the people want to join the Bangsamoro, what will happen to Iligan city? Will it become a municipality? What will happen to our IRA?” Belmonte said.
Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat, meanwhile, raised concerns on possible reactions of the MILF if Congress wants to amend or delete some provisions in the bill.
“What will happen if Congress deletes or adds provisions? Will the MILF agree?” Lobregat said.
Lobregat, who had vehemently criticized the bill over constitutionality issues, however said he no longer opposes the bill, adding that it only needed to plug constitutional loopholes so it would not suffer the same fate as the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain (MOA-AD) that was struck down as unconstitutional under the Arroyo administration.
The MOA-AD had called for the establishment of a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, which would have given the MILF a sovereign state replete with its own police and banking system.
“We are not anti-peace. I’ve been called peace spoiler, doomsayer. I can tell you, I am not. We have to pass a law that can pass legal scrutiny,” he said.
The recently submitted Bangsamoro bill seeks to implement the peace pact signed between the Philippine government and the MILF, which hopes to end decades of Muslim secessionist movement in the region.
Once the bill is passed by Congress, the law must be ratified by a plebiscite for the creation of a Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
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