44% vs BBL: Gov’t needs Plan B
Tough job
It will be a tough job, especially with the legality of the proposed autonomous Bangsamoro region and the large appropriations for it getting questioned in both houses of Congress.
The Senate investigation of the Mamasapano incident has also called attention to the government peace negotiators’ “wanton excess of overoptimism” and seeming bias for the MILF.
But on Thursday, Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, a cousin of the President, questioned that finding of the joint investigative committee headed by Sen. Grace Poe, saying it did not consider readily accessible documentation and reports on the debates and discussions during various stages and the challenges and historic milestones of the peace process.
Aquino defended Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles and chief government peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, saying they were not given the opportunity to properly respond to questions and manifestations from senators about the peace process.
“In many instances, the statements of the resource persons were … cut off and they were not allowed to finish their manifestation,” Aquino said in a letter to Poe asking for clarifications on portions of the Mamasapano report critical of the government peace negotiators.
Major problem areas
He also asked to be clarified on portions of the report that refer to “major problem areas” in the BBL, including the large appropriations and the creation of a “substate.”
“With due respect, the substantive provisions of the [peace agreement] and the BBL itself were not extensively discussed during any of the hearings conducted on the Mamasapano incident. I find it worrisome that conclusions regarding the [peace agreement] and the BBL (i.e., creation of a substate) are drawn without having these properly presented during our hearings,” Aquino said.
Aquino, however, concurred with the finding of the investigative committee that the President is ultimately responsible for Mamasapano.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, in a manifestation to the Mamasapano investigative committee, said there was a need to evaluate whether the government peace negotiators were “not remiss in validating the integrity of the information presented to them in the peace negotiations.”
Villar said it should be clear to the negotiators that they are representing the government alone in the peace talks.
Ferrer responds
Responding to the unflattering finding of Poe’s investigative committee, Ferrer said Thursday that she was ready to defend the peace process.
In a statement sent to the Inquirer, Ferrer said that in the five days of hearings on Mamasapano in the Senate, “the peace panel was not given enough time to provide a full picture of the peace process.”
“As such, we would like to offer to our esteemed senators a full briefing on the history of the peace negotiations with the [Moro National Liberation Front] and the MILF, the different annexes of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and the provisions of the draft law (BBL),” Ferrer said.
“We will also be giving the Senate a documentation of all meetings and consultations that the peace panel and the [Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process] have undertaken in crafting its negotiating positions with the members of the Cabinet and heads of agencies, legislators, former justices of the Supreme Court and other constitutional experts, historians, local government officials, the PNP and the AFP,” she added.
No compromised territory
Ferrer also stressed that the draft BBL “does not compromise but in fact reinforces the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines.”
Ferrer listed down several provisions in the draft law:
— The preamble, which shows that it is in consonance with the Philippine Constitution.
— Article III, Section 1, which states that the Bangsamoro territory will remain a part of the Philippines.
— Article VI, Section 3, which states that the President will exercise general supervision over the Bangsamoro government.
— Article XI, Section 15, which states that the defense and security of the Bangsamoro will be the responsibility of the central government.
“We trust that with further study and broader understanding of the intricacies of a politically negotiated solution to the armed conflict between the government and the MILF, this Congress would pass a good BBL and take pride in the future for the legacy of a peaceful, progressive and democratic Bangsamoro region that is part and parcel of the Philippine Republic,” Ferrer said.
Ferrer also said that “public awareness of the BBL is based on misinformation on the actual contents of the BBL.”
“If you ask people if they want the Bangsamoro to have a separate police and army and not be audited by the [Commission on Audit], naturally they will say no. If you ask them if they want the Bangsamoro to separate from the country, you will get the same answer. But that is not what the BBL says. What the BBL provides is the exact opposite. We hope that the mass media will help us correct all the misinformation,” Ferrer said.
Lack of understanding
A senior government official who closely monitors the peace process also expressed dismay at the Senate report which, he said, apparently showed a lack of understanding by the senators of the peace process as a whole.
“It seems they can’t think of any other adjective. They just don’t agree on the approach taken by [the] government,” said the official, who requested anonymity for lack of authority to discuss the peace process publicly.
The official said that in the peace process, the senators should know that there are priorities in the negotiations.
“Our priority here is the political settlement, before the lawlessness,” the official said.
The official added that during the Senate hearings, the senators seemed to want the government to “negotiate peace only with saints.”
“They have no idea what insurgent means,” the official said.
Peace will be attained
Malacañang said it remained hopeful that the peace in Central Mindanao would be attained as part of the “national aspiration.”
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Palace respected the opinions of the senators.
“We take that position in a way that would lead to a constructive dialogue that could lead to a finding or building of common ground. That is the democratic process. We don’t expect everyone to have the same opinions all the time. We make an effort to look for a common ground and build upon it. This is the basis to establishing lasting peace,” Coloma said.–With reports from Rafael L. Antonio, Inquirer Research, and wires
RELATED STORIES
Speaker eyes Plan B if Congress junks Bangsamoro Basic Law
Solon: Why not give BBL a chance?
