Duterte to Aquino: BBL doomed, plan B needed

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and President Benigno Aquino III FILE PHOTOS

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is urging the Aquino administration to prepare an alternative to the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which is envisioned to create a new Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao as part of a peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Duterte predicted that BBL would be rejected by Congress and, to prevent an all-out war in Mindanao, President Benigno Aquino III should have a fallback plan.

In a forum on the peace process in September 2014 in Cotabato City, Miriam Colonel-Ferrer, head of the government peace negotiating panel, said she was so confident of the passage of BBL that, when asked what the panel would do if it was rejected, she said: “We have no plan B for that.”

According to Ferrer, she was convinced that BBL would have smooth sailing in Congress because of Aquino’s persuasive power over Congress.

Popular

“The President is a popular President and he enjoys much support from most members of the Congress,” Ferrer said at that forum.

Duterte, who has been pushing for a shift to a federal form of government, said national anger fanned by the death of 44 Special Action Force commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province on Jan. 25 and some “questionable” provisions are tightening the noose around the proposed law and “it’s better for the President to prepare.”

The mayor, who was recently in Ormoc City as part of his campaign for federalism, said there’s no other alternative but the federal parliamentary form of government to allow a more equitable sharing of resources among regions.

Among the provisions likely to be questioned in the draft BBL is the establishment of an almost independent police and security force in the Bangsamoro area which Duterte said is stoking fears of a “strong regional police force that could not be controlled later on by the national police.”

Unacceptable

“A separate armed force and police force for the Bangsamoro area is simply unacceptable,” Duterte was quoted as saying in Ormoc by a statement issued by his camp.

“I, myself, while I support the peace process, will not agree to that,” he said.

Duterte said he feared that the draft BBL will be stripped by Congress of some of its key provisions which would surely anger MILF and ignite another all-out war in Mindanao.

“Federalism will not only spur development in the regions but will also provide the best fallback position to the BBL,” Duterte said.

He expressed lament, though, that Mr. Aquino never made a move to consult with Mindanao leaders in the peace process with the MILF although “they’re the first ones to be affected if war will erupt again in Mindanao.”

“Mr. President, please talk to us,” said Duterte.

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