Bishops bat for BBL based on social justice

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) wants a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that is rooted in social justice and the Constitution, allows self-determination among Muslims, Christians and indigenous peoples in the proposed substate and respects the nation’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

In a series of pastoral statements issued at the end of a three-day plenary assembly on Monday, the CBCP maintained its impartiality for the various drafts of the charter for the proposed Bangsamoro region pending in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.

The CBCP also addressed the challenges of the K-12 program, especially to the poor, and the evils of drug trafficking, which has been brought to the consciousness of Filipinos through Mary Jane Veloso, sentenced to death in Indonesia for smuggling heroin.

The bishops’ position on the proposed BBL is “based on and guided by social moral principles,” the CBCP explained.

It noted that the Mamasapano debacle, which led to the killing of 44 members of the Special Action Force, should not be equated with the BBL. It said the government must enact a law that would achieve the centuries-old Bangsamoro aspiration for self-determination.

The law that will create a distinct Bangsamoro entity should also be one that will not make the proposed entity “less autonomous” than the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“Like everyone else, we, bishops, want a just and lasting peace. For this reason, we want a Bangsamoro Basic Law that is rooted in social justice and promotes social justice,” it said.

“We want a BBL that effectively addresses the injustices suffered by the Bangsamoro as well as the injustices suffered by the indigenous peoples and various religious minorities within the proposed Bangsamoro area,” it added.

The bishops said they would support a BBL that would promote harmonious relationships between peoples of various ethnic groups and of different faiths and one that would respond to the concerns, hopes and aspirations of all stakeholders—various Bangsamoro groups and non-Moro citizens within the new Bangsamoro region.

Clearly constitutional

A BBL that is rooted in social justice is one with provisions that are clearly constitutional, without betraying the intent and spirit of the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“That is the BBL we envision on the basis of social moral principles of social justice, harmony and peace. It is a vision that goes beyond the proposals now being discussed in our legislature,” according to the bishops.

In the same pastoral statement, adopted from the position paper of the Mindanao Catholic bishops, the CBCP also outlined the criteria of what kind of BBL they would reject.

“We do not want a BBL that discriminates by not effectively protecting and promoting the rights of minorities, indigenous or not. We do not want a BBL that will foster ethnic, religious, political and economic discrimination,” the bishops said.

Noting the diverging opinions by legal and constitutional luminaries, the CBCP said it was hoping that the ad hoc legislative committees seriously and reasonably consider all of these views to avoid jeopardizing “the requirements of social justice for the Bangsamoro.”

“The suggestion of many experts, we believe, is wise—that such issues be left to the Supreme Court for judicial review. If left out through substantive revisions, the Supreme Court can no longer reinsert them,” it said.

The prelates emphasized the need for trust in waging peace, noting that relationship between the government and the MILF has evolved from suspicion and hostility to mutual trust and understanding, crafting an agreement, though “imperfect,” that will lead to a just and lasting peace.

“Let us then transcend the negative emotions of human tragedy and continue on the road to peace by way of dialogue, based on mutual trust, openness and respect,” the CBCP said.

Automated elections

At the press conference, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, who was reelected CBCP president during the plenary, disclosed that the bishops met with Commission on Elections Chair Andres Bautista and asked for his input “so that we can be better guided with regards to the computerization of the elections.”

He said the CBCP would be issuing a pastoral statement on the upcoming elections after its plenary assembly meeting in January 2016, four months before the presidential balloting.

“Our main concern is that the election process must be as transparent as humanly possible … must be efficient and that there is total public accountability,” Villegas said.

K-12 program

In a two-page pastoral statement titled “Advancing in Wisdom and Favor before God and Man,” the CBCP put forward moral, ethical issues that should be considered in the implementation of the K-12 program by the Department of Education.

It said parents should be deeply involved in the education of their children, the family being the “first school” of the young, and that the poor should be taken into consideration in the transition since many students are expected to drop out from the program.

Parents should be provided regular “updates” on the transition plan to allay anxieties and resistance and that the government should also come up with a mechanism that will help dropouts, especially the poor.

The CBCP reminded Filipinos that drug trafficking and drug abuse were some of the “most pernicious forms of colonization” that Pope Francis had warned about during his visit to the country in January.

“While the [CBCP] reiterates that the Church is against the death penalty, it calls for resoluteness from the police and law enforcement agencies to prevent the trafficking of drugs and to apprehend those involved in the trafficking of drugs,” it said.

It also called on authorities to dismantle the syndicates and cartels involved in the drug trade and to ensure that the seized drugs would not be recycled and brought back to the underground market.

“We call for the relentless prosecution of those responsible for trafficking in drugs and for those who traffic persons to be their drug mules,” it said.

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