Pacquiao doesn’t want Sarangani to be part of Bangsamoro region

TOP absentee congressman and boxing champion Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao does not want his district in Sarangani province to be included in the Moro region that would be formed under the proposed Bangsamoro basic law (BBL).

In a statement, Pacquiao said there is no need to include the lone district of Sarangani in the Bangsamoro region because his constituency is already enjoying peace and order in Mindanao.

He added that putting Sarangani under the Bangsamoro region may only result in instability in his constituency.

“Rep. Pacquiao said that while he is for peace and prosperity in the region, he is against the potential inclusion of Sarangani in the Bangsamoro territory,” a part of Pacquiao’s statement read.

“Rep. Pacquiao emphasized that there is no need to include Sarangani in the proposed Bangsamoro region because there is already relative peace and order in the province. He added that the inclusion of Sarangani and other parts of Mindanao may cause instability and further complicate our search for inclusive lasting peace,” it added.

Pacquiao expressed fears of his constituency being included in the Bangsamoro due to the so-called opt-in provision in the approved BBL version that could expand the Bangsamoro territory in the fifth or 10th year after the passage of the bill in a petition of voters under areas contiguous to the Bangsamoro core territory.

“I recognize the need to pass a law that will govern the area to ensure lasting peace and order which are the keys to economic prosperity and development in the region and throughout Mindanao,” said Pacquiao, who is the top absentee in Congress though he has said he is more active in his district.

Under Article 3, Section 3, of House Bill No. 4996, “any local government unit (LGU) or geographical area outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro, but which are contiguous to any of the component units of the Bangsamoro and within the area of autonomy identified in the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, may opt to be part of the Bangsamoro by filing a petition of at least 10 percent of the registered voters of the interested LGU or geographical area.”

The petition may be filed on the fifth or 10th year after the enactment of the Bangsamoro law. This is different from the original provision, which said contiguous or areas outside the Bangsamoro territory may apply to be part of the region at any time upon a petition of 10 percent of voters and approved in a plebiscite.

The House is set to vote for the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro law that would create a more politically autonomous Bangsamoro region to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

This after the ad hoc Bangsamoro committee passed on first reading a version of the bill approved by Malacanang, sparking criticisms that the panel railroaded a mostly Palace version of the bill that seeks to implement a government peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. AC