Former Ambassador to the Holy See and Malta Howard Dee (Photo courtesy of UE website) , Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
The peace council formed by President Benigno Aquino III has begun to study the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in a search for improvements that will ensure its passage by Congress.
A statement from the council released to the press on Friday quoted former Ambassador to the Holy See and Malta Howard Dee as saying at the council’s first meeting that their “overarching goal is peace with justice and development in Muslim Mindanao: A political peace settlement that addresses the injustices inflicted on the Bangsamoro religious, cultural and political identity as a people.”
“After all, they had their political identity before there was a Philippine nation,” Dee said.
READ: Peace Council meets on BBL; convenors named
Dee, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and youth leader Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman were the first community leaders invited by President Aquino to form the council that would study the proposed BBL.
Ayala presented an overview of the council’s role and objective at the group’s first meeting on April 6.
“He (Ayala) emphasized that the group is an independent body committed to helping the public understand what is at stake in the BBL, identify contentious issues, and help find a path toward reconciling divergent views,” the statement said.
Davide, according to the statement, said the “hard work begins after [the] BBL is passed.”
Human development
Dee said it was important to focus on “the human development of the Bangsamoro people by restoring their human rights and freedom to reverse their economic and social marginalization, which has resulted in a human poverty level that is about twice the national average.”
He emphasized the need to look at the “process of cultural and spiritual healing to overcome the deep-seated prejudices that continue to divide our people.”
The group agreed that “as an initial step,” it would organize the study of the BBL into four broad topics: Constitutionality and forms and powers of government; justice, including social justice and human development; economy and patrimony; and human security.
Davide will head the cluster that would look into the constitutionality of the BBL while Dee and Usman will cochair the group that will study the provisions on justice and human development.
Ayala will chair the cluster on economy and patrimony.
Tagle was unable to attend the council’s initial meeting. He was represented by San Fernando Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.
Invited to join council
The five leaders have invited 18 other peace advocates, educators, economists, religious leaders and lawyers to join the council.
They are Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Fr. Joel Tabora, Bishop Pablo David, Amina Rasul, lawyers Christian Monsod, Nasser Marohomsalic, and Marlon Manuel, Ateneo Law School dean Sedfrey Candelaria, University of the Philippines College of Law dean Danilo Concepcion, Prof. Moner Bajunaid, Pat Sarenas of the Mindanao Coalition of Development NGOs (Mincode), economist Cielito Habito, businessman John Perrine, Dr. Wilfrido Villacorta, Bishop Efraim Tendero, academic and diplomat Wilfrido Villacorta, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma and businessman Ramon del Rosario.
“In the spirit of collegiality of peers, the conveners decided not to have a chair but to divide the work as needed,” the council said.
The four clusters will have “in-depth sessions” that will be concluded by April 18. The results of their study on the four topics will be presented in a plenary.
No need for EO
On Friday, Malacañang said there was no need for President Aquino to issue an executive order creating the peace council because it is not being funded by the government.
“Why would an EO be needed considering that they are not part of [the] government? They are a group of citizens [who] have responded to the invitation of the President. Again, they will be working off government premises. They do not have funding from [the] government. They have accepted the invitation on their own volition and they will work as they see fit,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press briefing.
“We don’t know what their structure will be because [the] government does not dictate that. We do not know how they would go about their work… everything will be done separately and independently,” she added.
Valte emphasized that the council and its work would “not supplant Congress in any way.”
She said President Aquino invited the “private individuals” to form the council and having agreed to do so, their work is to “contribute to the national discussion on [the] BBL.”
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