Palace warns on junking BBL: Remember the costs of war

MANILA, Philippines―The Aquino government stands firm in its position to pursue the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) amid the death of 44 elite commandos of the PNP Special Action Force in an encounter in Maguindanao last week, warning that the collapse of peace process will be costly for the country.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Monday said that failing to foster peace has resulted to loss of lives and fostered a systemic cycle of violence in Mindanao.

“This is a period of grief. It’s a period of mourning. We are rending our garments out of anger, out of frustration. There is no alternative to peace. It’s too costly for us,” Lacierda explained in a press briefing.

“For instance, in 1972 up to 1996, 120,000―nearly 120,000 people were killed. That’s only one of the costs of war. In terms of internally displaced persons, we’ve got 982,000 only for the 2002 all-out war. And then we see the cycle of violence and injustice,” he added.

Lacierda called for sobriety to continue the fight for lasting peace in the country.

“As much as it is difficult for us to appreciate why we need to fight for peace in this very emotional state, we need to make sure, we need to fight for peace. We need to have a just and lasting peace and that’s what we’re trying to achieve in this Bangsamoro Basic Law,” the Malacanang official said.

The passage of the BBL suffered major setbacks in both houses of Congress during the aftermath of the bloody Mamasapano encounter. Two senators, Alan Peter Cayetano and JV Ejercito have withdrawn their co-authorship from the bill while several lawmakers are said to be reconsidering their support for the proposed measure.

Unfazed by these scenarios, Malacanang urged the House of Representatives and the Senate to continue their debate on the bill.

“Let the House, let the Senate debate on the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that we’re near there. Peace can be achieved but let’s make sure that the peace is just and lasting,” Lacierda said.

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