MANILA, Philippines—A former military chief-turned- lawmaker wants to amend the Bangsamoro Basic Law that will widen the security powers of the government to include not only against the external but internal threats as well.
During the House of Representatives ad hoc committee hearing over the Bangsamoro bill, Muntinlupa Representative Rodolfo Biazon said he wanted to amend Section 1, Article V of the bill which stated that the central government would have powers on matters of national defense and external security.
Biazon said national defense was only a component of national security.
National security pertains to issues on rebellion, insurrection, disaster, terrorism, among others, said Biazon, who chairs the national defense and security committee.
By failing to mention national security, the bill effectively removes from government its powers to handle these threats to security, Biazon said.
“In the proposed law, they are saying that the national government has no power to address rebellion, insurrection, insurgency, and even terrorism. All of that are components of national security,” Biazon further explained in a press conference.
Biazon said he wanted to delete the word “external security” from the bill and replace it with national security.
“In the substitute bill I am going to propose going back to the provision of the Constitution which states that the government is responsible for national defense and national security…,” said Biazon, who was a former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff.
“I would propose an amendment to delete that proposal in the Bangsamoro basic law that which defines the national government is only responsible for national defense and external security,” he added.
Defense undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, who was present in the hearing, clarified that the bill would give to the central government powers over national security.
He said Section 15, Article 11 of the bill specifically states that defense and security remain the “central responsibility of the government.”
The lower chamber is hearing the proposed Bangsamoro basic law that seeks to create a politically autonomous Bangsamoro entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The bill was the result of years of peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed a peace deal with the government this year.
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