Peace walkers appeal to lawmakers on BBL
ILIGAN CITY— For 2 kilometers, youthful members of civil society groups walked from three points on the outskirts of the city to the public plaza on Sunday to dramatize their call on legislators to “help end the agony” of people in Mindanao by setting the stage for sustained peace to take root in the conflict-torn region.
“Through their action on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), we expect our legislators to herald hope for a suffering region, and not be a harbinger of continued desperation,” said Juanito Enriquez Jr., managing director of local coalition Civil Society Organizations Forum for Peace.
The peace process is under threat following the Jan. 25 fighting in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, that left 44 police commandos, 17 rebels and three civilians killed. The commandos were on a mission to take down terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” but clashed with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces and members of other rebel groups.
The MILF came under attack following allegations that it had protected Marwan in its territory. The group has denied the charges.
Government and MILF negotiators have drawn up the draft BBL, which provides for a governing mechanism of the Bangsamoro political entity to replace the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The measure is now under debate in Congress.
The groups’ early morning “Walk for Peace” drew about 1,000 people and was timed with Palm Sunday, which ushers in Christendom’s Holy Week. At the plaza, Higaonon and Maranao youths performed cultural numbers, capping the observance of the Iligan Week of Peace.
“The BBL embodies the hopes and dreams, not just of the Moros but also of the indigenous people and the settler communities. It’s writing has enjoyed inputs from the grassroots people through the conduct of massive public consultations,” Enriquez said.
While Congress has the power to enact the measure, its members, he said, “should be sensitive to the aspirations of the people for whom the legislation will have impacts.”
Labor activist Pastor Tenorio said the proposed BBL was among a host of measures that must be put in place to ensure peace in Mindanao. “But we can’t do without it,” he stressed.
It is the “best chance to achieve sustainable peace and development in the Bangsamoro areas,” Esmail Abdullah of the Kalilintad Development Foundation said in a statement.
“Without this new paradigm offered by the BBL, their lives will never change. They will continue to live in a vicious cycle of war and poverty,” Abdullah pointed out.
Legislators, he said, must be convinced “to take the side of peace lest they lose the chance to rewrite our nation’s history.”
“It is not cowardice to rethink their positions,” he said. “Rather, it is bravery to embrace genuine reform. Let this be our shared plea as one people—Muslims, Christians, lumad (indigenous peoples).”
“To our representatives in Congress, we implore you to listen to the plea of your people. Please bring the peace that our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters in Mindanao have long been hoping for,” said Musa Sanguila, director of the nongovernment Pakigdait Inc. Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao
